A Hero's Heroine
by RyoshiMorino
Summary: After the events of Twilight Princess, things begin to return to normal for Hyrule. Link has been running himself ragged in service to the queen, and Zelda all but orders him to take leave to rest. But on his way home, Link encounters a somewhat clumsy, directionaly challenged girl claiming that she is the reincarnation of the Hero of Time. An adventurous romantic comedy begins.
1. Chapter 1

_**1:In Which the Hero Takes Leave**_

* * *

"Linkle, dear, I wish you wouldn't leave like this," her grandmother said, sighing in worry, "After all, you've only just turned sixteen, and I've heard of some dark things going on over in Hyrule."

The girl she was addressing stood up from her packing, and smiled, "That's why I have to go, Granny," she said, holding up her family's compass, this proves that I'm the reincarnated Hero! It's my duty!" She wore a green cloak over a white tunic, and thigh-high boots made for travel.

"But you'll get lost again," her grandmother argued, "And what if you get hurt, or worse?!" Knowing her granddaughter was horrible at directions and extremely accident prone did not help to ease her worries. Almost to prove that point, she narrowly missed being hit by Linkle's bag as she swung it over her shoulder.

"I'll be fine, I promise!" Linkle smiled at her, her blonde bangs swinging as she bobbed toward the door.

Her grandmother sighed and tailed after her, "You say that every time you go out picking berries, and yet you always come back thorny, muddy, and bruised!"

"I mean it _this_ time!" Linkle giggled.

"You mean it _every_ time!" The old woman shouted after her as the child ran toward the roads, "Wait, not that way! That'll take you into the Faron woods!" She yelled, "Hyrule Field is the other way!"

"Okay!" Linkle giggled and turned down the wrong road anyway, "Bye, Granny!"

"But that's the _wrong way_!" She yelled, but the girl was already gone. "Oh, dear..."

=|Hyrule Castle|=

It had been two weeks after the Twilight War, and things in Hyrule were steadily returning to normal. Princess Zelda, now a proper queen, had overseen most of the rebuild of Castle Town, and of the surrounding villages, while her newly knighted friend, Link, hunted down any and all that had seen fit to try and over throw her in this time of crisis.

And Link's form of justice was a swift sword to the heart in many cases, and the weighed heavily on his own. Killing Bulbins, and other monster was one thing, but killing people? The green clad knight was close to his breaking point.

And it was beginning to show. Ashei had reported seeing him barely eating anything, and Rusl, one of her father's best former knights, said that he had been having nightmares that kept him from sleep, evident even to her by the dark circles under his eyes.

A problem she was now forced to address as the aforementioned hero stood before her, looking ragged. It pained her to see him like this even more than it did when she was forced to watch him face down Ganondorf Dragmire not so long ago. "Link, please stand up," she told the knight as he began to kneel, "You will kneel to no one in this court."

Link nodded, "Many thanks, Prin-er, Queen Zelda." He hurriedly corrected himself.

Zelda smiled and rolled her eyes at him, "Link, I didn't call you here to have you go on another mission, I called you here so that you could take time off," she said to the young man, to which he was slightly startled, "Don't try to deny that you need it, my friend, you've been running yourself ragged ever since the war's end."

"I only wanted to make sure you were well protected before everything calmed down," Link said, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's not like there's any shortage of dangers around here. Hell, it's more dangerous than most of the monsters I've fought in close quarters." He said, clarifying, "At least I know they were dangerous, unlike the castle, when people you've known your whole life would put a knife you back before you could scream for help."

"And you've done a great service to me in rooting them out," Zelda sighed, gesturing to him, "But look at yourself, Link, you've barely eating, slept, or even rested. You'll kill yourself at this rate." She shook her head, "You've done so much for me, even though you had no obligations to do so, and I can't even begin to thank you for all of this, but you need rest, and perhaps, time to get passed all of the things you've had to do."

"Get passed it," Link sighed, looking up at the young queen, "Forgive my insolence, My Lady, but when you look into the eyes of a man you've just killed and watch the light leave them, you tell me how _you_ get over it. I would truly want to know."

The queen nodded sadly, "I fear I may never know the answer." She said, smiling gently toward her friend, "Link, I'm retiring you from active duty, and promoting you to Commander of the Hyrulian Army. Once your leave is done, at your leisure, you will teach our soldiers all that they need to know about being a knight. Like you."

Link smirked, "Are you sure the nobles will go for that? I am a foreigner after all?"

Zelda heard the humor in his voice, and smiled, "Ordonian, or Hylian, _you_ are my choice, and they will honor it." She said, and smirked, "Or I could always threaten to send to _queen's wolf_ after them."

Now it was Link's turn to role his eyes, "Very funny. I swear I still have problems with fleas." He grumbled, making the queen giggle behind her hand, "You _will_ have proper protection while I'm gone?"

Zelda nodded with a small smile still on her lips, "I have Groose and Pipit, who you've worked with over the last few weeks, so you know how good they are."

"Aye, they're good," Link said, his worry lessening. "If you insist on this, I promise I won't be gone long."

Zelda rose from her throne and glided down to him, "Your worry for me is admirable, Sir Link," she said, and pecked his cheek, much to his embarrassment, "But you should worry more about yourself, or haven't you looked in the mirror lately?"

He rubbed the spot where she'd kissed him, feeling the stubble of several days of not shaving. "I...I suppose you're right."

"Of course," she smiled at him, raising her hand, "I wouldn't be very deserving of this if I wasn't right at least once in a while, would I?" She said, letting a small glow shine from the Triforce of Wisdom, causing Link's Triforce of Courage to react.

He reached for the blade at his back, "Should I return _this_?" He asked, gripping the hilt of the Master Sword.

Zelda shook her head, "No, it should remain with you until you feel the need to return it." She said, "Whether that mean it remains with you until your death, or decide to pass it on is entirely up to you."

Link nodded, and turned, "I suppose when I get tired of fighting, then I'll find a way to get it back where it belongs."

Zelda sighed as strode slowly down the hall, "It'll always belong with the Hero."

Link paused and looked back over his shoulder, "I'm no Hero, my queen...not anymore."

=x=

As Link prepared to leave, he stopped by Malo's Market, that annoying song of his still playing like mad, and made a few purchases for Colin and Beth. Though he was still too young to wield a proper sword, Link bought a dagger for Colin that would serve as a short sword for the boy if he ever got into trouble when he or Rusl weren't around.

Beth, who was getting to be a pretty little thing, was getting an ornate folding fan that most of the ladies around Castle Town seemed to like. Hers would be painted green, with little golden birds flying across the folds. Very nice in his opinion, but then he wasn't a girl. Finery was lost on him.

He paused for a moment, and bought up a few bolts of fabric for Uli, knowing that with a new baby girl, she would need to make many clothes, and he thought it would be nice for the family to have some fine clothing. After all, they'd practically raised him.

Now Epona was grumbling at him because was laden like a pack mule. If he were in his wolf form, he was sure that she'd be cursing him. A thought which made him chuckle. "Sorry, girl, I'll have put some apples in your next trough of feed."

Epona nickered at him as if to say, ' _You'd better!_ ' Link chuckled again, and led her out of the town, hearing a few calls from his admirers.

"Be safe, Lord Link!" A young woman called out.

"You'll be missed, Lad!" And older knight called out.

"Safe journey," called out another young woman, "And come back soon!"

Link took it all in stride, giving small smiles to each of them, but inside, he couldn't wait to get away. Life as someone important just didn't suit him. Yes, he served the queen as a knight of Hyrule, but fame was something he didn't think he would ever be accustomed to. As the gates opened wide for his departure, Link gave one last look over his shoulder at the castle, and smiled, "Let's go home, Epona."

He pulled himself into the saddle, and slowly rode for the Ordona province.

=|Meanwhile|=

Linkle felt extremely uneasy as she trod through the forest. It was barren save for the giant trees that must have taken centuries to grow so large, Keese hanging from their roots, and the odd Deku Baba that popped up when she got too close.

"I think," Linkle shivered, fingering her family's compass, "I must've gone the wrong way." She held a small lantern aloft, which seemed to be keeping back a small puffs of purple fog on the ground. Linkle noticed that what ever small plant or insect the fog touch shriveled up and died only moments afterward. The girl shook herself, "This must be a test! The goddesses put this in my path to test me!" She steeled herself, and marched on, the light from her lantern giving a comforting glow.

She soon came upon a small rise that led out of the fog, and she hurried up to it, taking a deep relieved breath. A bit too soon as it turned out. A shrill whoop sounded behind her as she turned just in time to avoid the club of a large red Bokoblin. The monster screamed at her and swung again, and Linkle wnet for her two crossbows strapped to her hips, firing a single shot from both, and burying a bolt in both the creature's lungs. Flung back by the fatal injuries, the Bokoblin gave a shrill scream as it fell back, dead.

Linkle was quick to reload her bows, recognizing the call for reinforcements, and moved back from the incline. She noticed a tunnel up the road, and made for it just as she heard more screams from the swamp, and blew out her lantern, hoping the darkness would hide her.

Keese squealed at the intrusion, and fluttered about her head, yanking back her hood, and catching her hair as they flew passed. She stumbled on blindly, shielding her head from the creatures. The screaming cries of the Bokoblins reached her ears making her hurry all the more as she tried to get away. One or two she could handle, but as many as she heard would be suicide with only her crossbows.

Suddenly she slammed into what felt like a wooden wall, planks creaking from the impact. Light streamed through the cracks. She tore at them, ripping off boards as quickly as she could, hoping to create at least a space large enough to crawl through.

"What in tarnation's going on in there?!" Someone yelled from the other side, "Them damn Bokoblins are trying to get in again!"

"Help!" The girl yelled, and thrust her arm through a crack, "I can't get through!"

"DAMNATION!" The man yelled, the sound of running feet coming toward her, "You just hang on, miss, I'll have you outta there in no time!"

The sound of feet slapping against stone reached her ears, "Hurry!" She tore at the boards savagely, whirling around to fire her crossbow when she heard something moving behind her, and hearing the scream of a Bokoblin. The sound of hooves hitting the ground reached her ears and a man's shout joined the other's. The sounds of the Bokoblins were getting closer, and she hefted her second bow, ready to fire...when a pair of strong arms crashed through the barrier and pulled her through, light blinding her for a moment as the unknown people pulled her to safety.

"Link, they're still coming!" The first man yelled.

The girl blinked against the light and strained to see a green clad figure, and the gleam of steel in his hands, "GET BACK!" The man, Link, roared at the cave, hearing the screaming just beyond the wooden frame. Finally, her vision cleared enough for her to see him. Like her, he was clad in green as the Hero should be, and wielded a gleaming long sword with a blue pommel in his left hand, and a large shield in the right, "I said get back!" He roared again, thrusting the gleaming blade into the cave, and the pained scream of a Bokoblin followed.

She staggered to her feet, hefting her bow once more, but saw that the creatures were indeed backing off as they eyed Link's sword a wearily. "Coro, get some boards!" Link yelled.

"On it," Cora said, coming forward with a bucket of nails, hammers and boards under his arms, "Damned if we weren't lucky when you showed up, Link!"

"Tell me about it later," Link said, sheathing his sword and taking a board, "We need to get this closed up again, or else the whole forest will be overrun by tomorrow!" He took a hammer and a few nails from the bucket and started hammering the boards in, as did Coro. Linkle only stood with her bow aimed at the cracks until they had it completely covered.

"Hoo," Coro sighed, wiping his brow, "that should do it for a while." He turned and looked at the girl, "How in world di you get in there, anyways?"

Linkle sank to the ground, "Ugh, I was trying to get to Hyrule castle, but I couldn't find it," she groaned tiredly, "The path I took was supposed to lead to Hyrule Fields but I ended up in that horrible swamp!"

"You didn't breath in any of the fog, did you?" Link asked in concern, coming forward, "It's toxic if your breathe it in!"

Linkle shook her head, "My lantern seemed to keep it away."

Link sighed in relief, "If you were looking to get to Hyrule Fields, you're way of coarse," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder, "You're in Ordona."

"Wha -?!" Linkle cried, "B-but I was in Lanryu before I came here!"

Coro whistled, "Damn, girl, how long were you traveling?"

"About a week," Linkle mumbled in despair, "And I wanted to help with the war effort." She pouted cutely, which tugged on both men's hearts.

"The war's been over for about two weeks," Link put in, causing a proverbial cloud to hang over the girl's head, "Uh, you know, our village isn't too far from here, so why don't I take you there, and I'll take you to Hyrule Castle in a day or two?"

Linkle's stomach growled, making the girl blush.

Coro chuckled, "It's about that time when Bo holds the village gathering at his home," he said, smiling, "There's a lot of food to go around when he does that. Sort of a family thing when you look at it."

"That settles it," Link smiled at the girl, reaching out his hand, "Let's go, Miss...er, I don't guess I asked your name?"

"Linkle," she sniffled, "My name's Linkle."

Link smiled as she took his hand and helped her up, "Well, Linkle, my name is Link, Commander of the Hyrulian army."

=x=

Linkle was blushing heavily as she rode behind the young man that had saved her. _Commander of the royal army_ , she reminded herself, _no wonder he dresses like the Hero_. His shoulders were broad and muscular, and his body felt as if it were sculpted from stone.

His dark hair and deep blue eyes gave him a roguish look like that of a wolf, and she found herself stealing glances at his slightly angled face once or twice as they rode in silence.

"So," Link spoke up, startling her, "What brought you out here?" He asked, "It couldn't have been the war?"

Linkle nodded shyly, "It was. I wanted to prove myself by fighting."

Link chuckled, "Queen Zelda, and Dame Ashei would like you. There's only one female knight among the army, and she rose up only after she helped me fend off the invasion."

Linkle shook her head, "I don't want to be just a knight," she reached around her neck and showed him her compass, "This golden compass was passed down through my family for generations, and proves who I am, or who I'm supposed to be." She said, sounding proud.

"And who is that?" Link asked.

"The reincarnated Hero," Linkle smiled at him, making the man blink. "What's wrong, Mister Bink?"

" _Link_ ," he corrected, "And I think you're in for a shock." He said, and lifted his left hand, willing his Triforce to come alive, "Because _I'm_ the Hero, Linkle."

* * *

 _ **I started writing this when I was scanning through LoZ pairings for the hell of it, and I noticed that Linkle and Link had no pairings whatsoever...I couldn't help myself.**_

 _ **Review it you like it :p**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**2: In Which the Hero Comes Home**_

* * *

The moment the words left Link's mouth, he regretted them. Linkle's eyes widened at the sight of the golden Triforce of Courage glowing on his hand, the girl's eyes brimmed with tears. "Linkle?"

"But..." she fingered her compass, "This was supposed to be the Hero's..." she said, "and I was even named after him."

Link groaned; he wasn't good with crying women, not good at all. "A lot of the Hero's artifacts were scattered after he disappeared." Link said, trying to comfort her, "I've even met with his spirit." He went on, gaining her attention, but his face fell when he recalled the skeletal knight's unfulfilled life. "He wandered, throughout the world, and throughout time, feeling like he had never been able to pass on all that he had learned, even though we revered him as a Hero, he thought that he was looked upon as an unknown throughout history. So, when the war broke out, and I met up with his spirit, he taught me everything he knew."

"Really?" Linkle asked.

Link nodded, "It's because of him that I know how to fight so well." He admitted, "If not for him, I don't think I could have fought against Ganondorf."

"Ganondorf?!" Linkle asked in amazement, "You must be joking! He was killed by the Hero centuries ago!"

Link shook his head, and sighed, "Apparently not. I killed him just over two weeks ago." Link said, looking back over his shoulder, "I don't expect you to believe such a fanciful tale as that, but it's no less true. I hardly believe it myself sometimes." Link sighed, and looked on ahead as they passed by Faron's Spring.

Link halted Epona's stride for a moment, and gave a short bow from the saddle toward the spring. Linkle looked at him curiously for a moment, and then turned to the spring where the waters seemed to have a warm glow about them as tiny pink fairies danced over the surface. "Is this a Fairy Fountain?"

Link turned to her with a small smile, "This is the sacred spring of the Light Spirit, Faron." Link said, "I was just paying my respects." He spurred the mare on, only just missing the glow emanating from the spring become brighter with his passing.

Linkle caught it for a moment and thought she saw the face of a ape, or a monkey smiling at them from beneath the waters.

"What was the war like?" Linkle asked hurriedly.

She felt him flinch. "Mister Bink?"

" _Link_ ," the man groaned, "And why do you want to know about the war?" He sighed, recalling why he was even on leave.

Linkle peered at him around his shoulder, "Aren't you proud of what you did?"

Link's eyes hardened to pure ice, "No, I'll never be proud of what I was made to do," he all but snarled, his inner wolf rearing his head, "Yes, I stopped a pair of madmen, but it also cost the lives of countless people to do it." Link said, turning forward again, "All of their blood is on my hands, whether or not I'm the one that killed them."

"But I'm sure you've save just as many?" She went on, hoping to cheer him.

Link shook his head sadly, "Linkle if you're planning to become a knight, then you need to learn this first; it's not the live you save that matter, but the lives you don't." He said as they came to the bridge over the gorge, "Every life lost is a life you could have saved."

Linkle chewed her lip, a feeling of vertigo coming over her, "Was it really that bad?"

Link sighed, "For me? It was hell." He said, shaking his head once more, "It wasn't like that for everyone, I'm sure, but for me, there's a lot I wish I could forget."

Epona snorted, shaking out her mane as if agreeing with him. They crossed the bridge safely, much to Linkle's relief, and continued on. They soon passed by another spring behind a large set of wooden gates. "Ordona's Spring," Link answered her unasked question. "He's the patron of my village."

"Is it much further?"

Link turned to her with a small smile, and roared out, "Hello the village! Anyone up!"

Down the road there was a loud commotion at Link's shout as the voices of younglings reached Linkle's ears. Around the bend came three children, two boys, and a girl around the same age, ten or twelve perhaps, running full pelt as they saw them.

"Link!" The shreiked.

"Uncle Link!" The two boys yelled. Link laughed as he swung down from the saddle, and braced himself on his knees as the trio collided with him, knocking him over. Link wrestled with the three children, the little girl getting in just as much as the boys were.

"It's good to see you, too, kids," Link grinned, hauling himself up from the pile with the children under his arms, "Where's Malo?"

The little girl sniffed, "He's still in Castle Town, working in the market." She said, huffing, "Pergie can't even get him to come home!"

"He's making us a lot of money," the brown-haired boy said, "Ma and Pa are really happy about it."

The little blond boy looked up at the Hero, "Can you stay for a while?" The boy asked.

Link reached down and ruffled the boy's hair, "I'm on leave until I see fit to return, or called back," he said, smiling at the boy fondly, "Besides, who's gonna teach you how to be a knight if not the commander of Hyrule's army?"

"You're the commander?!" The children yelled at once.

"That's so cool!" The girl cooed elatedly.

"Did ya bring us anything?" The brown-haired boy asked, glancing at Epona's saddle bags, and spotted Linkle in the saddle. "Uh...is that your girlfriend?"

Link blushed clear up to the tips of his ears, "G-girlfriend?!" Link yelped, "I just met her half an hour ago!"

"That's right," Linkle said in her own defense, "I'm not his woman, I'm his apprentice."

"You are?" The children asked.

"You are?" Link asked, looking up at her.

Linkle nodded, "Of course!" She smiled blindingly, "Who better to help me become a knight than the Hero?"

"Anyone?" Link said bashfully, pulling his cap down over his face to hide his blush, "And I'm going to be too busy whipping the queen's army into shape after my leave is over."

"And I'll be among them," the girl smiled again, making Link groan in defeat. Linkle took it the wrong way and said, "Don't worry, Mister Bink, I'll work as hard as the other knights."

Link groaned, "For the last time, it's _Link_ , not _Bink_!"

The children all laughed, even Epona seemed to snort in amusement.

=x=

Link's return to his home was something of a grand occasion. The blond boy, Colin, had run straight to his father to, and alert the village. The man had come blundering out of his home with a small bundle squirming his arms, which he quickly handed off to his wife. The village was fit to burst as the young knight came into the village, the small population coming out to greet him. The mayor and his daughter were at the forefront, the young woman coming forward to kiss Link on the cheek, and then scowl at him when she spotted Linkle riding his horse.

The gift giving began shortly afterward.

As promised, Link presented Colin with a twelve inch double-edged dagger, much to the boy's delight, while he gave Uli, the boy's mother, three bolts of fine cloth to make clothes from.

Beth happily accepted the fan from him, smiling prettily at Colin, batting her lashes at him, making the boy blush slightly, which also made Link smile. Ilia, who was still casting small glances at Linkle, who seemed to enjoy watching the festivities, was presented with a string of pearls. This seemed to put the girl more at ease around the stranger.

To Rusl, he gave a ring with a single violet stone on it, "For my second in command," Link had told the man, "I may be the commander, but I'll always be green compared to you."

Rusl had accepted the gift, and the position gladly. Mayor Bo refused his gift, though Ilia wished he'd have taken it. It was a jade ornament fixed on a granite pedestal, but the man simply said that having the young knight home at last was more than enough. Finally, Talo, the brown-haired boy, received a scale Link claimed was from a dragon he had fought and killed during the war, which the boy thought was amazing.

The children pestered Link all through the gathering for stories of the war and the battles he had fought. Linkle was interested to hear them as well, but Link didn't feel the need to do so while they ate. And eat they did. Coro hadn't been jesting when he told the young girl that Bo hosted gathering with plenty of food to go around.

Ordon was famous for it's pumpkins, and the cheese produced from the goat milk they harvested. The tables were filled to the brim with pumpkin breads, pies and puddings, and cheeses prime for the taking, along with fresh fish, and red meat harvested from the surrounding forests, none of it came from the goats.

"This is Bulbo," Link said, looking at the mayor, "Bo, tell me that these monsters haven't been near the village?"

The mayor sighed and gave a small smile, "Aye, the beasts have been near the village lately, but thanks to Rusl, we've managed to wrangle a few of them for butchering." He said, taking a piece of the meat for himself, "But I can't say that I'm sorry for that. They give a fine tasting meat, and plenty of it to boot."

Link groaned, "Where there's a Bulbo herd, then there's going to be a Bulbin camp nearby." He said, think of the unpleasant little creatures. "I've dealt with them before, but they are such a pain!"

Rusl nodded in agreement, "That they are," he said, "But you don't need to worry, Link, I haven't seen any of them skulking around. They're too afraid of the Bokoblins in the North forest."

That did little to quell Link's worries, but if Rusl wasn't worried about it, then there really was no need to worry. Rusl was the finest swordsmen he knew, and if he couldn't handle a situation, then he would say something.

Finally, Link told a few tales of his journey, making sure to leave a few choice bits and pieces out, like that fact that he could change into a very large carnivore with big teeth, and the little imp that had been with him the entire journey. Link promised himself that, someday, he would write about his journey, start to finish, and leave nothing out, Midna included.

When he told of how he fought against the great dragon Argorok, Talo held onto his scale tightly as he listened to Link's tale, shivering when the knight showed off a scar left by the beast's claws. That battle, Link relented, had been one of the hardest he'd ever fought besides swimming after Morpheel.

Then, when the tale was done, and the children beaming at the young man, Linkle asked the question he'd been dreading. "What about your fight against Ganondorf?"

Now no one had wanted to ask this, but at the same time, they all wanted to know. Link sighed, seeing that there really was no avoiding this story, and launched into the final confrontation with the Dark Lord. Link would never forget the battle. Sword against sword, no help from the outside while he was trapped inside that barrier. So close he'd come to losing, yet, in the end, Ganondorf lay on the ground with his sword buried deep in his chest.

There was no glossing over this tale. Link simply told the truth of the battle, seeing the shock and horror at times on the faces of his friends and family. Linkle most of all looked shocked. Link, who was revealed to her to be the reincarnated Hero, was nearly bested by a man hailed as a demon, yes, but he was supposed to be...well, unstoppable!

"So," Colin said, "What happened to Ganondorf after the battle?"

Link looked at Colin with a sad smile, "I buried him." He said simply, "He may have been a Demon, but he used to be human, just like any of us, and deserved a proper burial, at least."

With that said, the hour grew late, and Uli decided it was time for the children, and weary heroes, to get a good night's rest. Link didn't argue. He missed his little tree house.

Though, to his annoyance, Linkle followed after him as he made his way home. The girl didn't appear to have much on her besides the satchel she was carrying, which led him to wonder just how she had been traveling for a good week on the road.

Linkle beamed when she followed him to the tree house he called home, "It's so cute!" She gushed, "You live here?"

"Built it myself," Link said, somewhat proud of himself, "But where did you intend to sleep?"

Linkle shrugged, "Outside, like I have been."

Link sighed, "You can have my bed," he said, motioning toward the ladder, "I'll stay out here."

"What?!" Linkle paled, "B-but I couldn't! And it's getting close to fall, so the weather's cooler and - "

"I'll be fine," Link assured her, smiling at her concern, finding the embarrassed blush on her face somewhat cute. "I've been sleeping on the ground for the past year, and sleeping in my own bed would feel strange to me." He said, shooing her toward the ladder, "And I wouldn't feel right making you sleep outside, besides that, my home's too small for one of us to sleep on the floor." He didn't mention his storeroom, because it grew fairly cool in there at night, making it a very uncomfortable place to sleep.

Linkle stumbled to the ladder and started to climb, "W-well, if you're sure," she stammered as she climbed up, slipping once, "G-goodnight, Mister Link."

"It's Link!"

Linkle giggled at him, "That's what I said!"

Link blushed in realization, "Oh, er, right, I'll just...goodnight, Linkle."

The girl gave him one last smile as she ascended the ladder and stepped into the home. She found it quite cozy, if at all a little dusty from the Hero's time away. She suspected that some of the villagers had been keeping it clean. To her right was a decent sized bed, ready made, and tidy. She sat down on the bed, testing it's softness, and found it quite comfortable.

She unlaced her boots and laid them down beside the bed, smiling as she thought back on the day. First she had come close to death by the hands of Bokoblins, and found herself saved from them, by none other than the person she aspired to be. He had been kind to her, and found herself blushing as she remembered the feel of his body as she rode behind him on their way to Ordon.

And the people of the village had treated her like family. It was much like her own village, save for the fact that there were fewer people, which made it all the more welcoming.

And she had learned a great deal from Link already.

The life of a knight, she thought sadly, was filled with sorrow it seemed. Link seemed to bear a heavy burden of the lives he had taken in service, but to her, she felt that any life taken in the line of service to the queen was necessary. One must always do what one is ordered to do. _But gods be good, he's sweet,_ she thought to herself as she laid her head down on the pillow. Perhaps too sweet for the life he had chosen.

A sleepy sigh escaped her as she began to drift off, her thoughts falling to Link, and what the new day would bring.

=x=

"Master, are certain that you should take that form?" Epona asked of the large wolf laying beside her. "The villagers know this form, and do not take kindly to such a beast near them."

Link shook out his fur and stretched, "They won't see me like this," the wolf said, "Besides, it's warmer with this fur."

The filly dipped her head in a nod, "As you say. But that female you brought with you...she seems like a good foal."

The wolf nodded, and placed his head on his paws, "She's a little clumsy, but she has a good heart." He said, letting his eyes close, "If she wants to be a knight, though, she needs to get in a little more experience."

The horse turned her head toward the dozing wolf, "Master, you won't have to fight anymore, will you?"

Link didn't answer. He simply didn't know.

The truth of the matter was he believed that he would have to fight again, someday, but he would have the Hyrule army with him. Still, the idea of marching off to battle again did nothing to chase away his fears. It was almost funny. He had fought things in the passed year that would only appear children's stories. Giant, man-eating plants, leviathans, dragons, walking dead, even a demon king. And it was that king that had nearly sent him over the provrbial edge as far as his prowess in battle went.

It was a small chance, but Link prayed to the goddesses that he would never have to kill another human, Hylian or Gerudo, ever again.

* * *

 _ **Link returns home, with Linkle in tow...damaged.**_

 _ **Where do I intend to go with this story? To the end, of course.**_

 _ **Leave a review it you liked the chapter.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Red Strings and Broomsticks

_**3: Red Strings and Broomsticks**_

* * *

Gazing into the crystal ball from beneath her mask, the sorceress sought out one thing and one thing only. A beast with the heart of a man she knew very well. A smile curved her lips as she found what she was searching for in the grey and white wolf sleeping beneath an oak tree alongside a bay mare with a blonde mane. For this was no ordinary wolf, she knew.

This was the Hero whom through the ages she had watched flounder along, only to find great success through much labor. The Goddesses had blessed him in many ways. His looks were always rugged, and handsome, like that of beautiful predator ready for the hunt. It was one of the two things that had always remained the same throughout flow of time. The other was something that greatly annoyed her. The Hero would always fall in love with his Princess.

The smile on her lips continued to curve upward. "But this time," she said, stroking the crystal seductively, "His heart belongs to no one. Not even that silly little girl that grew up with him." She smiled coyly, wondering is she should approach him this time, and, perhaps, offer him something he could never refuse.

Escape.

The sorceress was timeless, and stopping the time of another was such an easy task that she could do it with a simple snap of her finger. Yes, the Hero wouldn't be able to resist removing himself from the battles that he was forced to wage against the ever present threat of Demise's curse. Such a foolish thing in her opinion. One such as Demise could easily reform himself once he was reincarnated into a mortal body and become immortal once again with ease. But Hylia knew that the fool Demon God of old was too stubborn to listen to reason.

All that he cared about was conflict, and conquest.

She much preferred the ways of flesh she had observed through countless centuries of maintaining the balance of the world, even with the curse still drifting in and out of time. As she gazed at the sleeping beast, she found that this incarnation of the Hero was far more handsome than his ancestors. He looked more like the original than the others did.

As she watched him sleep, however, something else caught her attention. The door to his home opened, revealing a young blonde girl, stretching herself in the morning light. Her smile quickly turned into a frown as she regarded the girl with a sneer. The girl leaned over the railings and smiled at the horse, only to gain a horrified expression when she spotted the wolf sleeping next to her.

She bumbled back into the house, and came back out brandishing a broom as she lept down from the tree house, and landed bringing the broom whooshing down on the Hero's head. The Wolf Hero yelped, coming wide awake at once upon the attack. Though she couldn't hear them, she knew that the girl was screaming at the top of her lungs at the wolf as he scrambled away from the irate girl, and rushed away from her broom as she made another swing at him.

"No," she growled, clutching the crystal ball tightly enough to create cracks as she saw a red phantom thread beginning to connect the pair, "No, no, no, no! If he's not with that silly princess, then it's only right for him to be with me!"

The sorceress was so caught up in her jealousy upon seeing the thread that she didn't notice something drift into her realm. Long dead though it was, a fragment of Darkness had entered her home, drawn in by her jealous heart. Feeding off the woman's jealousy, the small fragment began to grow as it approached the seething sorceress.

As she watched Linkle chase after the Hero in his bestial form, the Darkness rose up behind her, and she felt the cold feeling wash over her as she shadowy fragment engulfed, and latched onto her very soul. The sorceress screamed as the Darkness skewed and warped her heart until there was nothing of her old self left.

The crystal ball slipped from her grasp and shattered against the floor, the smile coming back to her face, her full lips parting to reveal slightly pointed teeth.

"He will be mine," she said, plucking a small fragment of glass from the floor, "No one will ever take him from me again." She blew out a breath against the small shard which glowed red for a moment. "Bring them to me." She said, smiling as the shard glowed softly between her fingers, "Bring me an army."

The shard lifted from her hand, and shot away like a comet, leaving a blazing trail in it's wake as the sorceress laughed softly, "Link, my Hero," she giggled softly, "After so long, I will finally have you." She tapped her scepter against the floor and disappeared in a purple burst of flames.

Meanwhile, as the sorceress had seen through her scrying, Link had been rudely awakened from his slumber with the first swipe of a broom smacking him over his head. The Hero had come awake instantly ready for a fight...only to realize that his foe was his house gust.

"Get away from Mister Link's horse!" Linkle cried out loudly, bringing him to his senses as the broomstick came down again. Link yelped and scuttled out of the way, his tail tucked between his legs.

"Linkle, it's me!" Link barked, before realizing he was still a wold, "Oh, damn!"

"Shoo!"

Epona came awake only moments later as Link made his escape toward the village, and whinnied angrily, "Leave Master alone!" Of course, being a horse, Linkle couldn't understand her.

"Don't worry, Epona, I won't let it hurt you!" Linkle said over her shoulder even as the mare trotted after her, attempting to get the broom out of her hands with her teeth.

Link bumbled into the village, through a flock of cuccos, making the rooster crow loudly as the sleepy little village started to come awake. The sight that Rusl came out to see was the sight of a large wolf running from an irate girl brandishing a broom, followed by a flustered cucco, and an angry Epona who seemed to be trying to bite the bristled end of the broom.

Rusl chuckled, "Oh, boy, this is something." He said, leaing against the door of his home, "I wonder if she knows that's Link she's harassing?" He laughed as the broom made contact with Link's tail-end. The cucco flew over her head and pecked at her pigtails while Epona snatched at the broomstick. Link darted to the left and made a beeline right for the -

"Oh, no, not the pumpkins!" Rusl yelled.

Not that Link cared at the moment. Linkle might as well have been a charging Bulbo as she charged after him thinking she was defending his horse. Link hopped through the pumpkin patch and managed to avoid getting stuck in one of the vegetables, only for Linkle to bumble right into the thick of the biggest one. She skidded to a halt on her heels as the angered bird bounced off her head, and Epona put on the breaks to avoid trampling her. But not enough to stop herself from bumping into the girl.

Linkle was pushed head first into the large pumpkin with a wet _squish_ as she tried to get up covered in pumpkin guts. Link looked back at her and couldn't hold back the bark of laughter as he Linkle cleaned off her face, and looked at him sourly. Somehow, seeing the large cannine grin, she knew that the wolf was laughing at her. "Make fun of me, will huh?"

She was up and after him again in moments, but luckily for him Epona had managed to grab the broomstick in her teeth. "Epona, no!" The girl scolded the mare, attempting to get the broom back, "This isn't a toy!"

Link was still laughing as the tug of war continued when the broom snapped, and Linkle stumbled backward, pinwheeling her arms, and bumbling right into Link, sending the poor Hero into the lake.

Rusl couldn't help laughing himself as he came over, "Well, you don't see that every day," he said as the rest of the village came out to see what the rumpus was about, and saw the familiar wolf paddling up to the docks. "Link, why don't you change back?" Rusl asked, smiling as the wolf paddled back to shore, and shook out his fur, giving what Rusl had to call a surprised look, "I've known about your little trick for a while now, so it's no surprise to me." He said as Bo and Ilia came out of their home, and his own family came up.

Linkle was confused as Rusl addressed the wolf, "Uh, Mister Rusl, I don't think - AH!" Linkle squeaked as the wolf reared up on his hind legs, and was engulfed in a strange light. And there stood Link, sopping wet.

Colin, Beth and Talo were shocked if only for a moment before their childish curiosity got the better of them and they were running right up to the man that had just been a wolf only seconds ago.

"Wow, Link, that was amazing!" Talo beamed loudly, "How'd you do that?!"

Bo marched his way down into the patch with his arms crossed, "I'd like to know that myself." He growled, "Link, explain this - "

"Easy, Bo," Rusl stepped in for Link, "It happened after the kids were taken." He said, gesturing to his son, "Link's no more monster than I am. Nor should you think him dangerous, because the queen herself knows, and she's made him her commander. What does that tell you?"

"He should have told -" Bo started, but Rusl cut him off.

"Look how you're all looking at him," Rusl snapped, whipping his arm around the village. Bo started, and noticed that Pergie and Jaggle were trying to coax Talo away from Link, while Hanch and Sera were holding back their daughter, well away from the young man. He looked behind him to see Fado nervously holding a pitchfork.

"FADO!" Bo roared angrily, "Put that damned thing away before you do something stupid!" Ilia turned to the man in question and gasped when she saw him before marching up to slap the farm tool out of his hands.

"What's wrong with you!? Were you gonna kill him?!" She snapped at the goatherd.

"But he's one of them things that took you and the kids," Fado said timidly.

Rusl snorted, "If that were true, then why would he have risked everything to save the children?" He growled, jerking his thumb toward Colin, and the others, "And he's fought for us on more than one occasion. Now that you see that he's different from when he left us to look for the children, you're all afraid of him!"

Link looked down at his boots as his friend and father figure spoke, and hazarded a glance at Uli, who was holding her little girl closely, regarding Link with some small trace of fear, and shock.

"I'm not," surprisingly, it was Linkle that spoke up. He looked over at her where she was still dusting herself off, "He saved my life yesterday when I was lost in the Faron Woods, and trapped in that tunnel when the Bokoblins came after me." She told them, "And if he was a monster, then why would Epona try to defend him from me when I came after him with the broom?"

The mare nickered at her and nudged her shoulder before clopping over to her master very deliberately, pushing her head under his arm. Link smiled at the horse and stroked her behind the ears where she liked to be scratched. "Thanks, Epona, I can always count on you."

"You can count on all of us," Rusl said, locking eyes with the mayor, who nodded, and smiled at the young man, "Link, since you're on leave, why don't you spend the day relaxing?" He said, nodding to his son, "Take the kids fishing, or maybe show Colin and Talo how to use a sword?"

Link smiled and looked to Uli once, more, her opinion mattering the most to him.

The woman sighed, and smiled at her son, and surrogate son, "Go ahead...I never should have doubted you, not even for a moment."

Link smiled at her, "Thank you...but first," he smirked at the girl in front of him, " _Linkle_."

"Uh, yes?" Linkle inched away from him.

"Can you swim?" Link asked innocently.

Linkle nodded, "Yes, very well in fa- Yai!" Link reached out and pulled her into his arms before tossing her into the lake with a shriek. Linkle came back up sputtering, "Mister _Link_!" She whined.

"You had it coming for chasing me arou- ack!" Link soon joined her as Colin and Talo ran in and tackled him from behind, sending all of them into the water. "Gah, you little pirates!" Link roared and dunked the two boys under as they came up laughing.

Rusl chuckled as his wife came up to him and placed her arm around his, "Feeling guilty?" He asked, not having to look at her to know.

Uli nodded, smiling sadly, "Just for a moment, I was afraid of him...afraid of my own son."

Rusl placed his hand over hers and gave it a small squeeze, "I'm just as guilty as you are. The first night he changed he came to us for help, and I attacked him, you remember?"

Uli sighed, "I do...you were so injured after fighting off those things..."

Link, Linkle and the children hauled themselves onto the dock as the children giggled, and the two teenagers laughed, shaking water off of themselves. "Link's changed," Rusl sighed, "He's got the look of a war veteran."

Uli nodded, seeing a coldness in the young man's eyes even when he was laughing with the children. "Yes," she looked at her husband, "but he's still...our little Link, isn't he?"

"He's never been anyone else." Rusl nodded, smiling at her, and then at their new daughter. "Now he'll get the be a big brother all over again."

=x=

As the kingdom of Hyrule began to come back to some form of normalcy, the duties of the queen began to become more tedious, such as meeting with merchants and minor lords, and sending her knights to the four keeps surrounding the kingdom. Today, she was looking over a few reports that Sir Groose, a lumbering bear of a knight that served with Link as he helped keep down the unrest of the people during the worst of the rebuild.

The reports stated that large numbers of Bulbins, the smallest of the Blin race, had been seen moving about the forested areas of the kingdom. There was no word of attack, but the sheer numbers of the creatures had the people beginning to worry about their safety.

Bulbins were very dangerous in large numbers, and had played a large part in the war against her people as Ganondorf tried to take power once again. Their mounts were just as troubling as the riders were. The mighty Bulbos were a large species of boar that had a nasty temper, and even nastier bite with foot long tusks that grew from both the top and bottom jaws, making for a deadly animal to face, not even taking into account the Bulbins that would be riding them.

There was also a report that something odd had happened in the Eldin Province. A large flight of dragons had flown from the caves in the area in fear of something in the caves. Zelda wondered what could frighten a beast such as a dragon. A large Dodongo perhaps? They did grow quite large if left unchecked.

"Pipit?" She called out to the door, "Do you have a moment?"

The door opened and the young knight stepped inside, "You called Your Majesty?"

Zelda took a blank piece of parchment up and reached for a quill, "I'm sorry to say this, but I think I'd like you to go to Ordon, and ask for Link's expertise on these Bulbin sightings." She said, her quill traveling quickly over the parchment, "He doesn't need to come back, but I would like his advise on the matter, in the meantime, take word to Groose, and tell him to bolster the guards at all the keeps, and the villages, that includes a small detachment to Ordon."

Pipit whistled, "That's spreading our ranks right thin, M'lady," Pipit sighed, "Are you sure you want to leave the castle so undefended?"

Zelda nodded and rolled up the parchment, "The lives and safety of my people are more important when the villages have no walls to protect them, and we do." She said, smiling at the knight, "But please, give my regards to my commander, won't you?"

Pipit nodded and accepted the message, "Of course," he said, "That reminds me, Gondo has a new batch of swords ready for the knights. He just needs your signature to start handing them out."

"I'll speak with him before the day is out," the queen promised, smiling as he left her, the door closing with a thump, and the young woman sat back with a sigh, "Without you around, Link, things seem so dreary, even though there isn't a cloud in the sky," she said to herself, looking out the window. "I hope that you've found some form of peace in your absence, at least." She smiled fondly at the thought of the young Hero's return, a smile on his lips, and the clouds in his eyes cleared.

=x=

"Easy, Collin, you'll break the line if you haul back like that," Link chuckled as the youngster tried to reel in a fish on the end of his line. Beside him was Beth with her pole in hand, and a cork in the water. The little spring he had lead them to was just outside the Faron Woods, past Ordona's spring, and was filled with all kinds of fish that would make good sport.

Link already had a sizable basket full of Greengills, his favorite fish, despite the bones they had, while Collin was working on his first catch, a Hylian Bass. Linkle was beside him, having no luck whatsoever as she watched her bobber patiently.

"Did you put any bait on it?" Link smirked, knowing Linkle to be slightly absentminded.

The girl huffed at him, "Of course I did," she said, puffing up her cheeks cutely, "You're mean, Mister Link!"

Link laughed heartily after hearing that as Collin finally landed his first catch, and marveled at the size. For a boy of Collin's size, a three pound Hylian Bass was a good catch.

Collin brought if over to the basket, and placed it with the rest of their catch, smiling.

Talo was having about as much luck as Linkle was, but the boy wasn't leaving his bait in the water long enough for the fish to take interest.

Suddenly, Linkle's line pulled tight, nearly spooking the girl into dropping the rod. "Whoa!" She hauled back on the line, and the water boiled as a large Hylian Pike broke the surface, snapping angrily.

"Nice," Link smiled as Linkle fought with the large fish.

Linkle didn't seem to be struggling with the fish, and was easily hauling the creature in, even though Link knew them to be powerful fish, and much larger than anything found in the Ordon lakes and streams. Linkle stuck her tongue between her lips in concentration as she hauled the snapping fish in and landed it with a little more effort.

Linkle knelt for it, but Link beat her to it, wary of the needle-sharp teeth the fish possessed. True to its nature the fish snapped at his hands as he grabbed it below the jaws and tossed it into the basket. Linkle looked at him with a smile, and Link couldn't do anything but smile back at her as she re-baited her hook and cast out.

"It's really beautiful out here," she commented, her eyes on the water as the sun danced on the surface, creating sparkles the resembled stars, "I don't even think there was a place like this in Lanaryu."

Link chuckled, "Haven't you ever been to Lake Hylia?"

She shook her head, "No, my family was always careful with me, and told me to stay near the village." She sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest, and resting her chin on them, "Honestly, my granny's the only one that ever let me out of the house...after my parents passed away, she was a little more mindful of where I went, but she never tried to stop me."

"She sounds like a good person," Link said, nodding, "I've always been on my own, even with Rusl and Uli looking after me as a kid." He sighed and reeled in his line, placing the pole next to himself, and lying back on the grass, "Life was difficult on my own like that, but I got by. I built my house high off the ground so monsters or animals couldn't get at me, I did jobs around the village to earn my keep, and taught myself how to hunt and fish with the best of them, and then Rusl took me under his wing as a swordsmen." He smiled as he turned and looked at Collin, who was chatting happily with Beth, "I can't wait to start teaching Collin."

Linkle smiled happily, a small blush coming to her cheeks, "You seem like you're happier than you were yesterday," she noted, "This place must mean a lot to you."

He nodded, "It means everything to me."

The girl sighed for a moment as Link closed his eyes, seeming to fall asleep as the day wore on, and decided to do the same, laying down next to him, and curling up, falling sound asleep within moments.

Unbeknownst to the little fishing group, someone was watching them, and she was far from happy. A new scrying crystal rested in her grasp as she grit her teeth upon seeing the Hero with that girl once again. "The thread's getting stronger!" She shrieked angrily. Flinging the crystal across the room, it shattered against the wall where a tall figure stood, his arms crossed, and a large spear at his side. "Are your troups ready, yet?" She asked the man, "I do nothing but wait throughout time, and I have grown sick of it!"

The man shrugged, "I am as ready as you wish me to be, Majesty," he replied, "Though I am not sure what you wish me to do. Attack the castle?"

"Yes!" The sorceress sneered, "That little brat wishes to become a knight? Then she shall have it with a trail by fire!" She cackled, "And when she realizes that she can't become a knight, she will be broken beyond healing, and die upon the battlefield!"

"As you say," he shrugged, "And what about the boy?"

"What about him?" She asked, "I've told you what I want done with him!"

The man nodded, "So you have, but I wish for a good fight, nonetheless, and should he give me one, then I shall not be holding back."

The sorceress smiled seductively at the man, "Then go. Let my forces crash upon Hyrule castle like waves upon the rocks!"

The man grasped his spear and knelt, a smile forming on his face, "As you command, Lady Cia."

* * *

 _ **A new foe arises.**_

 _ **As Link finally begins to enjoy the time off that he has, a new threat rears her head in the form of a powerful sorceress that wants him for herself. Upon seeing the Red String of Fate forming between Link and Linkle, she declares war on Hyrule to draw them out, and end their happiness.**_

* * *

 _ **AN: I kinda wanted to do some sort of conflict in this fic with a new kind of flare, and when I started looking at Hyrule Warriors, awesome game, Cia seemed like the perfect way to start things out. Now, this won't be an all out war fic, no, there's gonna be breaks, as Cia's attacks and schemes will come in smaller attacks, like going after Link and Linkle herself, or sending a lone person after them, large scale battles will be rare.**_

 _ **Also, to answer a question one of the readers asked, I am using some Skyward Sword characters, not just for bodies, but for fun. I like there attitudes.**_

 _ **Peace out, and don't forget to review!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Rise A Knight

**_4: Rise A Knight_**

* * *

Pipit was well on his way to the Ordon Province as the day began to wane, his horse trudging along tiredly after a hard day of riding. Pipit was dressed in for battle in what could be called the new uniform of the Hyrule Knights, emulating Link's clothing of a green tunic over a chain-mail shirt, along with his sword by his side.

"I'd almost forgotten how far off the village is," Pipit sighed as he looked across the field to the nearing forest. A smile crept to his face, and spurred his horse on, "Come on, boy, we'll be there by dusk!" He broke into a gallop, his rider grinning as the Knight held on.

As he was nearing the forest, he heard the high-pitched screeching that could only belong to a Blin. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, than he heard a sound like an angry hornet, and a meaty smack as his horse pitched forward. Pipit was thrown from the saddle and hit the ground with the wind knocked out of him. His horse was down, an arrow through his shoulder, un-moving.

The thundering of massive hooves reached his ears as a cloud of dust rolled toward him. Three Bulbos were hurtling toward him with two Bulblins on their backs, one steering the animal, the other drawing a bow.

The young Knight scrambled to his feet, drawing his sword as he went and made a mad dash for the forest surround Ordon, hoping to lose them in the trees. The Bulblins squealed as they tore after him, arrows whistling passed him.

Pipit's shield thumped and dinged as the darts struck the metal, thankful that he hadn't drawn it. A Bulbo rushed passed him, skidding on it's hooves as it wheeled around, it's head lowered as it bore it's tusks at him, and charged. Pipit brought his sword up in a wide arc, and slashed at the beast, a cut opening right above it's left eye.

The beast roared in pain, rearing and crashing down on the two Bulblins riding it.

Suddenly he was slammed from behind and throw into the air. He crashed down, rolling into a tree. A searing pain shot through his left wrist and arm, signifying a break. He staggered back to his feet and ducked around the tree just as the remaining Bulblins shot at him with their bows, the arrows burying themselves in the bark of the tree.

His arm throbbed as he weaved in and around the trees making himself more difficult to hit. He hid himself, and crouched behind another tree as he heard the Bulblins crashing through the forests, their mounts forgotten as they searched for him. That made him grin. On the ground, Bulblins were less formidable than they were when mounted.

Now it was just a game of cat and mouse.

If he waited long enough, they would lose interest, and most likely leave him alone, but then they would move on to one of the villages, maybe even Hyrule Castle Town. He couldn't let them live.

His right arm was the, luckily, the dominant arm, his sword arm, meaning his could still fight even without his shield. He forced himself to his feet, his sword at the ready at his back. It was a deadly move Link had taught him a few days after the war had ended. Only once the Bulblins were close enough would he draw bring the blade down. It was just as dangerous to him as it was to the Bulblins, but the move would make him less threatening to them until he attacked.

He stepped out from behind the tree.

One of the four Bulblins left was right there as he rounded the tree and swung its club at him, only for him to whip his sword away from his back and bring it down on its head.

The green inqor of the Blin splattered the ground. He whipped around again as he heard one of the others scream and come rushing toward him. Pipit was forced to jump back from the blunt weapon as it was only mere feet away from him and rolled behind the creature, slicing upwards and into the back of the Bulblin. It fell dead next to its comrade.

An arrow came flying at him, which he caught on the blade. He took his shield in hand and hurled it at the Bulblin archer, striking it in the throat, and ending its life before a searing pain erupted in his upper right bicep as another arrow struck home. Pipit glared and flung his sword, spinning the weapon like a dagger, and pinned the remaining Bulblin to a tree where it stayed stuck fast.

Pipit staggered back against a tree, and wrenched the arrow from his shoulder with a yelp as he sagged to the ground. "That was for my horse, you bastards," he groaned, and staggered back up to retrieve his sword.

He made his way back to the edge of the forest, and found the three Bulbos milling around peacefully, not even taking notice of him. One of them raised its head as he neared it, and grunted at him, almost as if greeting him.

"Well, you're no horse," he said to the large boar, reaching out to pet it, which the boar accepted with a soft snort as it leaned down so he could reach its ears, making the young Knight smile, "But at least you're friendlier than your riders were." With his semi-good arm, he reached for the saddle and pulled himself up. The Bulbo grunted and shook its head as Pipit wheeled it about. "Let's go, big fella, we've got work to do."

The boar gave a squealing roar and charged off into Faron Province.

=x=

"Yah!" Collin charged forward, his wooden sword held high as Link stood still, only for the young commander side stepped and gave the boy a smack on the rump with his own sword, "Ow! Link!"

Link chuckled as Collin glared at him, "Charging head on like an angry Bulbo will only get you either a bad injury, or an early grave." He smiled as the boy sighed from his side of the yard, "When you fight, you fight smarter than the person or thing you're fighting." Link held his old wooden sword aloft, before moving it fluidly behind him as if preparing his spinning strike. "Judge how your enemy moves, and then strike with precision, which takes the opponent down fast, so they won't have a chance to retaliate." To prove his point, Link back-flipped, bringing his sword up and over himself in the Helm Splitter.

Linkle, who was sitting off to the side with Talo and Beth, was watching the man in close fascination. She had never, ever used a sword in her life, only ever relying on her crossbows. Watching Link and Collin train, even in a lighthearted manner as they were, was all new to her, and was bringing her one step closer to becoming a Knight herself.

Beth, on the other hand...

"Collin's so cool," the girl simpered, "He's gonna be as strong as Uncle Link someday!"

Talo giggled, "Yeah, right, like that'll ever happen," the boy said, smirking, "Don't forget what he did to get us back. I mean, who would challenge a Bulblin king to a jousting match?"

Linkle looked at the boy in question, "He really did that?"

Talo nodded, "I only caught the tail-end of the match, but I saw the monster charging toward Link with Collin tied to his lance, and Link was charging at him with his bow drawn." Talo grinned, his hands tucked behind his head, "Malo and I already knew he was amazing with a bow, but we didn't know he could make a shot like that! He shot that Bulblin twice and knocked him right off his Bulbo! And he never came close to hitting Collin!"

"And Collin was brave, too," Beth put in, smiling, "He pushed me out of the way when the Bulblins came after us in Kakariko Village!"

Linkle smiled as the little girl blushed, "You really like him, huh?"

Beth giggled a bit, "He used to be such a cry-baby, and always seemed to be getting us in trouble because he thought we'd get ourselves in trouble, but he's really brave, and kind."

"And you're not scared of Link because of what he can do?" Linkle asked, remembering the reaction of the girl's parents.

Beth shook her head, "Why would I be? Uncle Link's always watched out for us, and make sure we were safe." She looked back at the pair as they practiced, "He was really protective of Collin when we were all little, but I guess that's natural, they're kinda like brothers since Rusl and Uli raised him."

"Well, I think it's cool," Talo smirked, "I wish I could turn into a wolf like he does, I'd scare the crap outta Malo!"

Linkle giggled, but before she could respond, she heard a thundering of large hooves. Link heard it, too, as he stopped Collin from hitting him. "That's a Bulbo!" He growled, "Kids, up the tree!" He roared, ushering Collin toward his tree house. "Linkle, crossbow at the ready!"

As Linkle readied her weapons, the children scrambled up the ladder, and Link reached for his blade. The rumble became louder and louder as the animal approached, and soon, Link made out a dust trail as the beast crossed the bridge and came into Ordon territory. But it wasn't a Bulbin on it's back, it was a man!

"What on Earth -?!" Link gasped as he saw who the rider was, "Pipit!?"

"Link!" Pipit yelled as he pulled his beast to a stop with a grunt form that Bulbo, "Goddesses am I glad to see you!"

"What happened to you?" Link asked as he took in the older Knight's ragged appearance, noting his bound arm, and bloodied shoulder, "You've seen battle?"

Pipit slid out of the saddle with Link's help, "I got jumped on my way here," he said, sighing, "Six Bulblins on three Bulbos," he explained, "The queen wanted me to come see you about some problems that have been arising, but I think your opinions won't matter on this." He reached in side his tunic and produced Zelda's scroll for him.

Link took and read the contents, his eyes hardening as Linkle tried to peek over his shoulder. He looked up at Pipit, "Dragons running from the Eldin caverns? Hordes of Bulblins moving throughout Hyrule?" Link scowled, "Why didn't she send you to fetch me right away?!"

Pipit gave a stiff shrug, "She wanted you to rest, Commander," Pipit sighed, "We all did. Ashei, Groose, Her Ladyship and I the most. I can already see that it's done you some good with only these last two days, and she's only asking for your advice. We've already had Groose bolster the ranks at the two bridges, and the remaining keeps. Hyrule can do a little longer without the Queen's Wolf."

Link rolled up the scroll, "Linkle, pack your things, we're heading to Hyrule Castle Town."

"Uh, yes, sir!" Linkle saluted and scampered to the ladder.

"Tell Collin to go get Rusl, I'll need him with me as well," Link called after her as she ascended the ladder.

Pipit reached out to him, "Link, wait, I said we could do without you for a few more days, so you should enjoy your rest!"

Link shook his head, and pointed to his injuries, "Look at what just happened to you, Pip, and this was only a small party of raiders, so what do you think is going to happen when these little runts start attacking in larger numbers? They'll scale the walls of the kingdom in no time."

Pipit stepped back and sighed, "Alright, but I still think you're overreacting."

Link sighed as well, "I hope I am, too. I'm in no mood for more battle."

=x=

"Look alive you rats!" A large, lumbering Knight roared as he paced along the bridge gates, "I want these gates closed at a moment's notice if things look bad, be it Bulblin, Bokoblin, or Moblin!"

"Aye, aye, Sir Groose!" His men yelled.

"Good," Groose said, taking a little peace of mind as his men set to work. Despite his large size, Groose a bit of a lightweight when it came to battle. He preferred long range combat to close quarters, even though he sported a large magic Goron hammer on his back. Link's absence also made him nervous. The Bulbins, he knew, respected strength in battle, and Link, having defeated their king, had earned that respected tenfold. But with him gone, Hyrule was fair game to the small Blin race.

At the moment, he and his company were stationed at the bridge over Lake Hylia, over looking the beautiful lake. It was one of the best guard position in the routine in Groose's opinion, but the very real threat of an attack just after the war left the large Knight nervous.

Now he had heard that not only were the little runts on the move in large numbers, but word had it the dragons of Eldin had left their caverns. Link had once spoken of a battle he waged against a dragon, and Groose did not like the sound of it at all. "What I wouldn't give for an over sized crossbow," he grumbled to himself before the idea to build such a thing stuck in his head, "Hmm, not a bad idea...we could use spears as arrows..."

"Sir Groose!" One of the men yelled from the arch above, "I see a dust cloud coming from canyon!"

"Large or small?" Groose called up.

"Very large," the man called down, "Large animals, too! Bulbos!"

That did it, "Close both gates, and have the men at the East end prepare for battle, get everyone else into the halls under the bridge, and get them over there to aid them! The remainder are to assist me in oiling up the bridge! If even one of those little rats gets through that gate, light it up!"

"Sir!"

Groose growled as he set about rolling barrels and barrels of lamp oil onto the bridge, along with bombs, and other explosives to make the Bulblins regret ever setting foot on Hylian soil.

"If I die here, then let it be a grand sight," he grinned to himself.

No sooner had he said that than the pounding of numerous hooves reached his ears along with the loud screeching cries of Bulblins. "Alright, lads, drop those gates!" Groose roared, his voice carrying across the entire bridge, "And let's give'em hell for Commander Link!"

Oil spread across the bridge, soaking the flagstones, Groose made his way into the lower halls and thundered after his men. Half a mile later, he emerged to the sounds of battle. Coming out from beneath the Easter guard tower, he was treated to the sight of his archers firing their arrows down into the throng of green Bulblins as they tried to climb the gate. But there were too many of them for just bows and arrows, "Don't just use your bows! Toss some bombs out there!"

He reached into his own bag and lit up his bomb, tossing it through the gate. The explosion rocked the ground beneath him, and it wasn't long before his men took after him and started raining bombs down on the Bulblins.

"Moblins at the rear!" Shouted a guard, "They've got pikes!"

Groose growled and started scaling the gate, "You leave them to me!" He reached the top and lept down, his hammer coming to his hand, "Here I come, you bastards!" He brought his hammer down on the first Bulblin that was stupid enough to get in his way. A normal war hammer would have done massive damage, but Groose was using a weapon forged by Gorons. What followed his strike was a massive blast of flames that rushed outward in a shock wave, washing over the Bulblin ranks. He stood up and grinned, "Let's see what you've got!"

A large Moblin lumbered forward, its shield and pike raised. Groose rushed in, his hammer primed to strike, and slammed it against the shield. The Moblin, assaulted by the force of the hammer, and the large Knights titanic strength, was thrown back with such force that it bowled into its fellows like a game of bomb chu bowling.

Groose didn't stop there. He was whipping his hammer around like a mad man as the Bulblins and Moblins came at him. His men kept him in volley as their arrows came down on the creatures and around him. Many Bulblins were dying by his hand, but the little monsters just kept coming!

"Get ready to light the oil!" Groose roared, "Get that gate open, and get below!"

The gate began to creak open as the soldiers filed down into the halls while Groose fended off the Blins. As soon as the last soldier was below, Groose wheeled about and tore back down the bridge at top speed with the horde of Bulblins right behind him. He kept his hammer over his shoulder so he wouldn't ignite the oil, but again, he was bait. And it was working. The horde of beasts was tearing after him with a vengeance.

Groose was almost out of steam, what with running, fighting, and running again, the large Knight was running on fumes. As soon as he reached a clear patch, he turned and slammed his hammer down on the oil soaked stones, igniting them with a blaze that would make a dragon proud. The Buldlins and Moblins screeched and turned about, but the gate was already being closed by a lone guard from above. They were trapped.

Groose wasted no time in getting below and popping out on the other side of the bridge as the flames spread.

"We've beaten them!" One of the guards roared, setting off the others in a wild cheer. Groose sighed and sank to the ground, exhausted.

"Thank the goddesses that's over," he sighed, letting his hammer fall to the ground. "How did Link do this on his own?"

"I had help," said a voice behind him, making all celebration cease. Groose jumped to his feet, and there was none other than his commanding officer. "Sir Groose, it's good to see you keeping a watch over the borders like this." Link smiled from his horse. Behind him say a young woman with a pair of crossbows strapped to her hips, with Pipit riding atop a large Bulbo of all things. Link smiled at the men, "Good work, all of you! The queen would be proud of all of you, as I am!"

The cheer went up again, some men even throwing their helmets in the air.

"Groose," Link said, addressing the large Knight, "Have a small detachment of your men stay here, the rest are to move to the Eldin Bridge, and support Dame Ashei just in case another raid comes through. Bulblins won't come through an area where many of their dead are found until the stench of death is gone. So don't let anyone clean up the bodies, leave that to the birds."

"Aye, sir," Groose said, giving a salute, "What about my orders?"

"You'll be returning with me and Pipit," Link went on, "I've sent Rusl on ahead to inform the queen of our arrival. A day after our arrival, if nothing else has happened, there will be a Knighting ceremony."

Linkle blinked, "Knighting ceremony?"

"It means I'll be inducting a few new knights into service," Link smiled at her, "Rusl is only my second in command by my word, so I'll have to make it official."

"But you said Knights," Linkle pointed out, "Who else is going to be Knighted?"

Link gave her a crooked grin, "You'll see."

"Meanie," pouted Linkle, her cheeks puffed out cutely.

Groose, watching the exchange, sidled over to Pipit, "Who's the girl?"

Pipit shrugged, "His apprentice, I guess. She hasn't left his side since I arrived, and he wouldn't leave without her." Pipit smirked, "She's a cutie, that's for sure."

"I thought he'd just been roped into baby sitting." Groose commented.

"You know I can hear every word you're saying, right?" Link growled, the tips of his turning red while Linkle herself blushed lightly under their comments, "How would you two like to be on privy duty for a month?"

"Anything but that!" Both men shouted.

=x=

"Argh!" Cia screeched as she threw yet another crystal across the room, "You said your forces could handle a few Knights!"

The man she had thrown the crystal at caught it easily, "I was mistaken. Next time I shall go myself." A smile spread across his features as he stroked his beard, "I had no idea that these Hylians were such fine warriors."

Cia huffed, and crossed her arms under her ample bosom, "There is no finer warrior than the one that belongs to me," she said, summoning the crystal back to her hand, gazing into it and sneering as she saw Linkle sitting behind Link in the saddle as they rode through the gates of Hyrule Castle Town. To her pleasure, the girl looked frightened as the throngs of people moved toward the Hero and his entourage. But Link was smiling kindly at her as he waved to his adoring public, speaking words of encouragement that only she could hear.

The girl blushed under his words as a small smile played at her lips, and leaned against his strong back.

Cia felt enraged at the sight of the girl, "That girl will soon know my wrath! Even if I have to bring the entire flight of Eldin's dragons down on Hyrule!"

The beared man smiled genuinely, "They would enjoy such a thing, but perhaps we should let things calm down?" He suggested even as the sorceress glared at him from behind her mask, "They would not expect us to attack if things calmed down so much that the guards begin to laze about like fools. Then perhaps you can have that girl's head?"

Cia thought for a moment, and smirked, "Yes, the master finds that agreeable." She said, finally, and turned to her chambers, "I will retire for now, but inform me when next we should strike, Volga, and do not disappoint me again."

Volga gave a sneer, and bowed, "As you command, Lady Cia." The doors to her chamber closed, and the man growled, his eyes gleaming red beneath his helmet, fire leaping from his lips in anger, "I care not for your affections toward that Knight, fool of a sorceress, all that I care about is the finest battle that life can give me, even if I must serve under such a selfish creature as you!"

=x=

In the center of the town stood a mass of people, at the steps leading up to the castle stood the queen, Link at her side as her dutiful Knight. Linkle stood within the crowd watching the goings on as Rusl stood in front of the queen and the young Knight. Zelda raised her hand to quell the muttering of the crowd. As they quieted down, she smiled, "My good people, it is my pleasure to be here for this moment as we bare witness to the rise of a new Knight." She gestured for Link to step forward.

Link bowed to her. As he stepped forward, Linkle thought he looked every bit the Knight dressed in his uniform, though there were some slight differences, color being one of them. He was wearing a green tunic similar to his old one he once wore for battle, save for the fact that it was a lighter green in color, and had a golden yellow trim around the hem, and the sleeves, even his cap had the same design.

"My friends, we have won a great victory, even when we are weakened by war," Link started, bringing a cheer from the crowd, "Only two days ago, Sir Pipit came to me injured and informed me of the raiding parties of Bulblins stalking our lands, and Sir Groose, along with his band of Knights defended Lake Hylia's bridge from those very forces."

Groose and Pipit, now on the mend from his injuries, waved as the people praised them.

Link held up his hands for silence, "I came here, intending for one man to become my second in command, but I see now that there is so much more to be done," he smiled and turned to his fellow Knights, "Sir Groose, Sir Pipit, and Dame Ashei, please join Rusl up here with me."

The two male Knights looked at each other in shock, but a shove from the lone female of Hyrule's army got them moving as the trio joined Rusl, who patted Ashei on the shoulder.

Link nodded to each of them in turn, and began again, "For bravery shown in the line of duty, and aid in the war, and for the sheer strength of will shown by these four Knights, I have only one things that would do them justice," he said, turning slightly to the queen, who smiled and nodded her consent. "My friends, I ask that you answer truthfully." Link said, "There are two oaths that a Knight of Hyrule may take, one that inducts a warrior as a Knight, and one that gives you into the queen's service...today, I ask that you all swear your loyalties to our Queen Zelda."

All four Knights looked at him in shock as Ashei's eyes brimmed with tears, "Link..."

"We will swear," Rusl said for the girl, Groos and Pipit nodding as they were still stunned.

The young Knight commander smiled and took hold of his sword. "Be without fear in the face of your enemies," He touched his blade to Rusl's shoulder first, "be brave and upright so that the Goddesses may love thee," the blade touched Ashei's shoulder as her tears fell unbidden, "Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death," the blade came to rest on Pipit's shoulder, careful of his wounds, "Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong," the blade finally touched the hulking shoulders of Groose, who had a beaming smile upon his face, "This is your oath, and should you break it, death will be swift." Link raised the Master Sword high above his head, the blade glowing brighter than starlight, "Now rise a Knight of the Queen!"

Rusl, Ashei, Groose and Pipit, with some aid from Ashei, rose and faced the crowd.

"People of Hyrule, I give to you the Knights of Queen Zelda!" Link roared, and the applause erupted in a maelstrom of sound as the crowd showed their approval. Linkle was beaming as she saw the tears in their eyes, offering a prayer to Hylia that someday she would stand where they stood. Beside the queen...beside Link.

* * *

 _ **There are two oaths taken by Knights that I could never forget, The Knight's Oath from Kingdom of Heaven, and the Old Code, from Dragonheart. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as well as the battle, short as it was. As you can see, things are getting a little heated for Cia and Volga as the Dragon Knight hungers for a battle like no other, and Cia lusts after the Hero.**_

 _ **If you enjoyed it, please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5: King of Blins

_**5: King of Blins**_

* * *

"I don't understand these sudden attacks," Link grumbled as he looked over the map of Hyrule's regions. Through the three days that had passed since the battle over Lake Hylia, there had been few sightings of the Bulblins, but plenty of raids. They came in the night, stealing food, and what materials that could be found to use as weapons.

Link figured that they had come in on foot, seeing as how the hooves of a Bulbo, even a small one, were loud enough to rouse a village, let alone the sheer noise caused by a whole herd of the beasts. Pipit's own Bulbo, which he had taken a liking to, was quite a noisy beast when it walked.

But what really vexed Link was the fact that the Bulblin king had sworn he would not attack Hyrule again because he had been bested by the young Knight far too many times for him to even think about fighting him again. According to Bulblin society, a king among the race was measured by the strength of his enemies, which would have made his old foe quite high in status.

They had parted as equals in that regard.

As he thought about the ordeal that could be ahead of the kingdom, Groose was also examining the map, looking over the two bridges, and two keeps that bordered the kingdom. What bothered the large Knight the most was the fact that so many of their already thin army was kept at these points. It would be one thing to have ample men to position around the castle, but even now, there were few to do the job.

Rusle and Ashei were of the same mind as Link, finding the attacks strange, as there were no casualties during these attacks. No one was injured at all.

"I still think you're overreacting to this, Link," Pipit put in, his arm still in a sling thanks in no small part to his injuries. "It was just a small raiding party at the bridge. And these attacks at the villages are nothing more than a few hungry monsters that don't want to tangle with a pitchfork."

Link sighed, his arms crossed, "I understand what you're saying, Pip, I do, really, but you have to look at it form my point," he explained, gesturing around the room, "All of us here are common-born Knights, but Rusl and I are the only ones that know the damage raids like these can do to the people."

"He's right," Rusl nodded, "A few bits here and there might not seem all that worrisome to people who grew up here in the city, but to people like Link and myself, even a few misplaced vegetables can lead to starvation. Kakariko is not a prosperous village, with so little fertile land for crops, the better soil being up the mountainside, they're going to have a harsh winter, which is just around the corner."

Ashei hummed, "I'll admit that Bulblins are way smarter than their larger cousins, yeah, but you're not trying to tell me they're trying to starve out the smaller villages, yeah?"

Link shook his head, "If they wanted to do that, then they would attack in force, injuring people that could hunt for food, taking anything and everything they could get their hands on, and not giving a damn about making noise." He said, frowning, "No, there's something up here, and I wanna know for damned sure what it is."

"So what are we gonna do?" Groose asked, shrugging, "We're spread really thin, Link. We barely have an army as it is since most of them were turned into those shadow beasts, and..." The big man snapped his mouth shut as he noticed the dark look on Link's face. _He_ had killed many, if not all the Knights that had been changed.

Rusl stepped in for him, "Groose, why don't you work on the castle defenses?" He suggested, "I know you and Gondo have been hatching a few ideas since the battle."

Groose beamed for a moment, "You got that right! I even asked Linkle if Gondo could borrow her crossbow to make a scaled up model to defend the castle." He explained, grinning as they all looked at him, "With such a weapon on the walls, we won't even need half the men we have right now to defend our home!"

"Speaking of Linkle," Pipit said, looking at his commander, "Where is the little mite? She's usually tattooed to your side?"

Link sighed, "I let her help Shad in the archives," he said, sounding tired, "I swear, that girl is made of piss and vinegar! She's always on the move!"

Ashei giggled, "Maybe that's a good thing, yeah?" She smirked, "Someone's gotta keep you occupied, right?"

Link huffed, "I have enough on my plate, what with being the commander of the army, and Knight instructor, _and_ having an apprentice, it's a nightmare."

Ashei was about to start ribbing him again when there was a shout and a huge crash from down the hall. "Uh...wasn't that from the archives?"

"Not again," Link groaned, striding toward the door, "That girl's a menace!"

The others trailed after him, wondering what had happened. Link strode down a few doors, and turned into the archives, finding the room in dire straights. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Link groaned as he took in the room.

All of the bookshelves had been tipped over, spilling their contents over the floors, and knocking over numerous tables, even breaking a few of them. Linkle and Shad were no where to be seen, but a pile of books could be seen moving near one of the shelves. Shad poked his head out of the pile, adjusting his glasses, which had a crack on one of the lenses. "Now that's what I call getting the book thrown at you!" Shad chuckled, "Linkle, where are you?"

"Here," a hand poked out of a pile across the room close the door where Link and his Knights were standing. "Someone get me out of here!" Link rolled his eyes and went to go dig her out. He grasped her hand, and gave a small pull, hefting the girl out of her tomb. Linkle coughed out a puff of dust, and raised her eyes up, and came face to face with Link, an embarrassed flush rising to her cheeks. "Oh...hello, Mister Link...I can explain this."

"I'll bet you can," Link deadpanned, setting the girl on her feet, looking over to Shad, "Alright, let's have it. What happened?"

Shad picked himself up from the floor, and dusted himself off, "It really wasn't her fault, Link." He said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a new set of glasses, "She was putting a book away, and a rung the ladder broke. Then she grabbed a hold of the shelf to keep herself from falling, and...well, as they say, the rest is history."

"So is the archive," Ashei giggled, plucking up a book from the floor, "Historical Hylian Romances?"

Shad huffed, "It's a detailed history of the monarchy!"

Ashei smirked as she flipped through the book, "Says here that the Queen's great, great, great, great grandmother was caught having an affair with the era's Hero at the time?" She said, looking at Link, "Bring up any memories, Link?"

"I may be his reincarnation, but I sure as hell don't have that sort of connection to him," Link growled while Groose and Rusl laughed at him.

"Mister Link had an affair?" Linkle gave the man in question a slightly disappointed look, "That's horrible, Mister Link."

"It wasn't me!" Link roared, touching off Pipit's and Ashei's laughter while Shad retrieved the book. "Don't judge me for something my ancestor did!"

"Hey, I was reading that!" Ashei pouted, "It had a lot of steamy details!"

"Argh," Link ran his hand through his hair, "Linkle, we're going out for a scouting mission, go get your crossbows from Gondo, and meet me at the stables."

"Yes sir!" Linkle scampered out hurriedly, not wanting to see his anger grow.

"Groose, Ashei, you two help Shad clean all of this up, and then see what you can do about those new defenses you were talking about, Groose," Link growled, and strode toward the door, "Rusl, you're in charge until I get back."

"Got it, Link," Rusl chuckled, "But maybe you should go back on break when you return, eh?"

"I'll take a break when I'm dead," Link snapped.

"That's what we're afraid of!" The others, including Shad, shouted.

=x=

Gondo was another large Hylian, as Linkle had found out when Groose had asked to borrow her weapons. The large dark-skinned Hylian had gladly explained why since the girl was reluctant to part with her prized possessions, and promised to improve them once he was done. Now, as Linkle hurried down to the forges, she wondered what had been done to her bows.

"Mister Gondo!" Linkle called out as she burst through the door, "Are my crossbows ready, yet?"

Gondo was by his forge, hammering away, as usual, and looked when the girl came in, smiling behind his goggles, "Well, if it isn't the little miss?" He bellowed, smiling hugely, "You're just in time. I've got them both ready." He reached for his table and pulled up two very different weapons than what she remembered, "Now I know these look a little heavy, but I can assure you, they're light as a feather. And they'll fire more than one bolt at a time, now thanks to a little tube of gas I put behind the bolt chamber," he grinned as he handed her the weapons, "Just point them at something, pull the trigger and hang on."

Linkle tested the balance of her weapons and smiled as the familiar weight returned to her hands. Apart from a large cylinder below the bow, they looked normal, and the cylinder was full of small crossbow bolts, more like darts, but no less deadly.

"They look great, Mister Gondo," Linkle said, smiling as she holstered the weapons, "What about the thing Mister Groose wanted you to make for the walls?"

Gondo grinned and jerked his thumb over toward the corner where a large item lay covered, "Got one finished already. Should make a good start when I get some more people working on them."

Linkle beamed at him, "That's so great, Mister Gondo! I'm so glad I could help!"

Gondo let out a huge laugh and ruffled the girl's hair, making her giggle, "Missy, you've got no idea how much help you've been!" He grinned, "Even if you don't see it, Commander Link's starting to wind down. I never saw what he went through in the war, but I can tell that he went through a lot. A lot of Hyrule's soldiers got turned into those Shadow Beasts. Fighting them meant fighting his own men."

Linkle bit her lip. Had the war really been that bad?

Gondo saw the look on her face and sighed, "T'ain't nothin' you need to worry about, now. It's all over."

Linkle shook her head, "It's not over for Mister Link," she said, sadly, "I may not know what the war was like for him, but I can see it hurt him greatly."

Gondo nodded, "Wars always hurt those that fight them," Gondo said, sighing, "But a war can also hurt those that don't fight in them. Soldiers go off to battle, leaving loved ones behind, and then they never come back, and that makes their loved ones sad." The big man said, "I'm my opinion, there's no good reason for anyone to wage war, but still the world seems to thrive on it at times. It brought all of the people of Hyrule together this last time, but who's to say that the next one won't tear us all apart again?"

Linkle thought about that for a moment, but couldn't see an answer to it. Gondo grinned and gave her a nudge toward the door, "Off with ya, before Link comes chargin' in here looking for you."

The girl giggled and hurried off, smiling at him as she went, "Thanks again, Mister Gondo!"

Gondo grunted out a laugh as she ran out of sight, and sighed, "Hylia bless that child," he chuckled, "I swear she radiates just as much light as the queen when she uses her magic."

=x=

Volga was pacing through the chambers as he watched Link through Cia's crystal. Nothing about the young Knight Commander struck him as special. He was, to put it bluntly in the Dragon Knight's opinion, an ordinary Hylian Knight with nothing but a special sword. The girl that rode behind him was more so. She was pretty, he supposed, but horribly clumsy as seen when it was discovered that she couldn't ride a horse properly.

"Pathetic," the Knight growled as Link showed her how it was done, "If she was one of my kind, she would have been eaten already." To him, the race known as the Hylians were the most disgustingly weak creatures he had ever laid eyes on. Dragons were much stronger than that. They had to be, or else they would be killed by their own kind, and eaten. The more a dragon ate of its own kind, the stronger it became. Volga himself had eaten hundreds of Dragons to get as strong as he was, and not one of his brethren questioned his right to rule them.

Hylians banded together, as did the Blin races, and some other creatures that had some semblance of intelligence, but Dragons, Dragons were different. When at war, Dragons came together and made short work of their enemies as one gigantic flight. When at peace, they were a solitary lot. Only when the mating season came did two Dragons come together, and even then the courtship was short, as the female always chased off her partner afterwards for fear of him eating her eggs.

Together or alone, Volga knew that his race was the greatest.

But this Knight, this Link, had bested one of his own, even when blessed with a shard of the Mirror of Twilight. How humiliating.

"Bryagh!" Volga roared, "Come forth!"

A slouching creature came from the halls, "Master?"

Volga gave the creature a sneer, "The one that defeated your previous king many times over has begun to move across the kingdom," he said, and smirked, "Why don't you go out and pay him back for all the humiliation he has brought upon your people?"

The large Bulblin sneered nastily, his head bobbing with the weight of his massive horns, "Bryagh go! Defeat weak Long-Ear, bring pride back to tribe!"

Volga grinned and pointed his spear at the green-skinned Blin, "Then go! Make your people proud, and make the Hero suffer!"

The Bulblin King roared and left the hall, dragging a massive battle axe behind him, and the Dragon Knight sneered at the crystal, "This will prove whether or not if you will be the one opponent I've been waiting for, Wolf of the Queen."

=x=

Link had a hard time not laughing himself silly as the sight of Linkle riding her own horse was almost too much for him to bare. The poor girl had gotten saddled with quite possibly the most savage horse out of the entire stock on hand. He was a big stallion built for battle, and he did not take too kindly to being saddled with his gear, or his rider, who was at the moment clinging to his neck in fear of falling off as the beast kept pace with Epona.

"I don't think he likes me, Mister Link!" Linkle whined as she looked over at him, tears in her eyes, "Why couldn't I ride with you?!"

Link grinned at her, "We have a long journey ahead of us, and I didn't want to overburden Epona." The mare snorted at him, casting a glance over her shoulder at him. He didn't need to be beast to understand her. He was enjoying the girl's misfortune with the stallion, though he would step in if the beast overstepped his boundaries with her, or if he kept agitating Epona by harassing Linkle. The mare was quite fond of her for some odd reason.

"You're so _mean_!" The girl cried, still clinging.

The stallion snorted at her, glaring at her from his shoulder.

Epona snorted at him in return, making the stallion look at her as the mare nipped at him to get him to stop his torment. It worked, to an extent, as the stallion slowed his pace to lope alongside the mare, and was easier with his movements, allowing Linkle to sit properly in the saddle.

Linkle gave the mare a grateful smile, knowing that it was her doing that stopped her mount's treatment. "Uh, so where are we going?"

"The desert province," Link said, looking at her, "There was once a large canyon that separated it from the mainland, but with so many Bulblins pouring into Hyrule, there's a possibility of a bridge being built." He explained, "I want to know who built that bridge, and why these Bulblins are attacking us."

"Isn't that just what they do?" Linkle asked.

Link shook his head, "Not after the war. I've fought with their leader many times, and the last time we parted on good terms. He wouldn't dare attack us again unless he had a death wish."

"Maybe he wants to lure you out?"

"Maybe," he nodded, "But it doesn't make sense to me when we settled our scores with each other."

After that, they rode on in silence, passing through Lanaryu Province in no time as the day wore on. The bridge over Lake Hylia had been reopened, the bodies of the Blins having been cleared out in a day or so after the battle. The scent of death still lingered on enough that Link's sense of smell picked it up with little trouble, making him cover his nose as they crossed.

The few Knights stationed there bade them a good journey as the passed through the first gate, Linkle smiling as she saw the great lake for the first time far below them. It was enormous. Link had to smile at the girl's wonder at seeing the lake, and the beautiful waters below, for he had once felt the same way before he found the monstrous leviathan living in the Water Temple. The lake, he realized, was very much large enough to support such a predator, and many more like it.

It was no small blessing that Morpheel had been the only one of its kind. The Zorans would have been easy prey for such creatures should there have been more.

He made a note to stop by the lake on their return trip so Linkle could get a better look at it. He also still had Prince Ralis' earring, which he had used as a fishhook for a time, making him feel terribly guilty since the item was a gift from his mother. Yes, a trip to the Zora's Domain was called for. If anything, just to see how the young prince was getting along with his people.

He rather liked the Zorans. They were a simple, kind people, much like the people of Ordon were when he was younger.

As the day began to wane, the land began to turn barren, and rocky as they passed from one province to another. The huge arch of stone protected them from the sun, for the most part, but as they moved into the desert realm, the heat began to rise. Thankfully, even as sweat began to drip from his brow, Link felt the chill of the night sweeping over the area as the sun began to sink below the horizon.

Linkle was nodding off in her saddle as they neared their destination, which made Link snicker at her. Really how could the girl sleep like that? "Linkle!" He shouted, his voice echoing off the canyon walls, and startling the girl.

"Wha-what?" Linkle came awake, blinking slowly, "Oh, good morning Mister Link."

Link nearly barked out a laugh, "It's evening, Linkle, you only dozed off for a few minutes."

"I'm sorry," Linkle blushed lightly. "It's just that we've been riding all day and..." The blush increased. Link felt his heart skip a beat. _She's pretty when she does that,_ he thought for a moment before banishing such thoughts.

As they rode into the warmer desert area, Link's suspicions were proven as they came upon the canyon separating Hyrule from the desert. A large, wooden bridge was constructed across the canyon, built from old structures, and fallen trees. Link had to wonder how and where the Bulblins had gotten so much lumber.

It was a simple construct, but strong, strong enough to support Bulblins, and Bulbos in small numbers. Link spurred Epona over to the construct, noting that the area was ripe with Bulbo waist, and tracks of both creatures, large and small, signifying at least one Bulbo Lord, the larger, horned Bulbo ridden by the leader of the Bulblins.

But this one looked...bigger than the last one he'd seen, much, much bigger. "We've got trouble." Link grumbled.

"Mister Link?" Linkle said as she rode up next to him.

Link looked at her with a grim face, "Look closely, Linkle, these are the tracks of a Bulbo Lord," he gestured to the gigantic hoof prints. "And his rider is a king among the Bulblins." Link said, "He's a Bulblin unlike any other. Large and strong as an ogre would be to a Hylian."

Linkle swallowed hard, noting that the hoof prints he was indicating were thrice as large as her mount's. "Is it the same one that you fought during the war?"

Link shook his head, "He's bigger, heavier. The bigger the Bulbo Lord, the bigger his rider's going to be." He looked around, finding it far too quiet. "Let's get out of here. It's not safe."

Linkle nodded and was about to wheel her horse around before something caught her attention. "LINK WATCH OUT!" She dove for him and tackled him off Epona's back to the ground as a massive ax fly over them, narrowly missing them as the horses spooked and fled.

Link rolled over the top of the girl protectively as he searched for their attacker, his hand going for his sword, and spotted him.

The Bulblin was large alright, almost as big as a Moblin, which made Link worry.

"Linkle, go find your horse and scram," Link told her, getting to his feet, and drawing his sword, making his would-be opponent sneer as he hefted a huge club, "I'll hold him off for as long as I can."

Linkle looked up at him, "No! I won't leave you behi - " He bopped her on the head, "Ow!"

"That was an order from your superior, Page Linkle!" Link barked, glaring at her, "I can handle myself, I just can't fight while I'm worrying about you the entire time!"

"But I can fight, too!" Linkle argued.

"And I don't want to see you hurt!" Link roared, his shield in hand as he prepared to fight, and the Bulbo Lord, pawed the ground, its horns scraping the earth as it prepared to charge him.

Linkle was taken aback by his words, even as she drew her new crossbows, and fought back a blush that was fighting double to make it to her cheeks.

=x=

"Hoh?" Volga smirked in amusement, "Well, well, it seems Cia's worries were well founded." He said as he watched the pair. Bryagh was the perfect choice for this test of his. If Link could defeat him, then there was no doubt that he would give him the battle he truly wanted.

=x=

Link stepped in front of the girl, "Just stay back, Linkle, and watch how a real Knight of Hyrule fights!"

Linkle didn't like it. She didn't like letting him do all the fighting at all. Not when she was so close and could easily help him. She didn't get the chance to argue further, either. The Bulbo charged them with a roar, and Link pushed her out of the way, charging headlong into the monstrous boar. Bryagh laughed and swung his club, nearly clipping the young Knight as Link rolled beneath it, and brought his sword up in a wide arc across the the reins attached to the Bulbo's horns.

Rolling back to his feet, Link wheeled about as the Bulblin tried to rein in the thrashing beast as he turned about awkwardly with the remaining rein, "Puny Long-Ear! You no match for Bryagh!"

"What happened to your old king?!" Link shouted, "We parted on good terms! Why do you attack us?!"

Bryagh roared with laughter, "Old king weak! I strong!" He thumped his chest, and spurred his mount on, "I show all Long-Ears Bulblins stronger than stupid Long-Ears!"

Link readied himself to jump as the beast roared toward him, and charged, the beast's head lowering. He ran in, planting his feet on the beast's nose, and lept high into the air, spinning end over end, and slashing down onto Bryagh's helmet, and biting into his left horn.

Not enough to shave the massive horn off, Link was sent rolling once again, and landed roughly on his knees, a pain shooting up through his right foot. _Damn, it's sprained!_ Link growled, staggering back to his feet.

"AHH!" Bryagh screeched, wheeling about, green blood leaking from his scalp, "I kill puny Long-Ear!"

Link, supporting himself on his left, raised his shield, his sword pointing directly at the Bulblin. "You can try it all you like, but this Long-Ear isn't going down without a fight!"

Bryagh growled and charged again, his club raised. Link set his sword toward the ground behind himself, and waited for the beast. "Come on."

The giant Bulbo neared. Link's sword was ready...

But before the beast could get to him, multiple bolts came buzzing toward it like a swarm of angry hornets, and buried themselves into the beast's hide. Not expecting the pain, the Bulbo went down on its side, throwing its rider. Bryagh roared in rage as he was sent flying toward Link. Link took the moment to glance at the rocks, and saw a beaming Linkle with her crossbow primed. Link grinned, "Well done, Linkle!" He yelled, and spun on his good heel, "Now, GREAT SPIN!"

The blade unleashed something almost like a beam of light around him as he spun, and sliced through Bryagh's horns, the bone appendages falling to the ground at his feet as the Bulblin king sailed over him, and crashed to the ground. He staggered to his feet, panting heavily, "Stupid Long-Ear bitch!" He growled toward Linkle, "Long-Ear warrior weak!" He sneered at Link, "Need female to win against Bryagh!"

Link spat, "Sometimes a female is stronger than us males, Bryagh!" He grinned, "Now, yield!"

"I no run!" Bryagh roared, "I fight! I kill! Kill all stupid, weak Long-Ears!" He charged him again, his club raised, and Link readied himself for a fight. But before the two could clash, Bryagh was hurled through...

"A shadow portal?" Link breathed out as the titanic Bulblin disappeared.

"Link!" Linkle cried as she came running toward him, and tackled him a second time. She buried her face in his chest, and Link felt something wet seeping through his tunic, and realized that she was crying.

"Hey take it easy, Linkle," he chuckled, petting her hair to calm her, "I'm alright, just like I said I would be, see?"

Linkle shook her head against his chest, "I didn't want you to fight alone!" She sobbed, "I know you wanted me to stay out of the way, but I couldn't just leave you like that!"

He smiled, and sighed, "Linkle, you did great. I don't think I could have done much better than that if he was still on his beast, but you downed him, and gave me a chance to beat him...and we just found out something important." Link said, making the girl look up at him, her face flushed and tear streaked. Link's heart pulled its little antic, but he ignored it as he wiped away a stray tear, "Who ever is sending the Bulblins after us and into Hyrule is a magician."

=x=

Cia was furious with Volga as she screeched at him. Not only had he attacked without her consent, but he had sent an opponent out at her Link! And he had injured him!

"I leave you alone for a single day, and you nearly killed him!" She screeched at the Dragon Knight, "What if that idiot had killed him?! What would do then?!"

Volga just shrugged, "Bringing the dead back is a simple task for a Guardian of Time such as yourself, Cia." He pointed out, much to her ire, "If he had died, then you could have simply turned back the time on his body, and brought him back without so much as a scratch. What's the harm in testing his mettle?"

"I know his mettle!" Cia raged on, "He's just and good, and kind and - "

"And he's in love with that little girl you hate so much," Volga smirked at the horror that crossed the sorceress's face, "He was quite adamant about her staying out of the way during Bryagh's attack. It was only because she attack from a distance that he managed to lop off his horns."

Cia was horrified, "No, that can't be!" She shrieked, making her way to her scrying crystal, and summoned up the image of the Hero. Sure enough, Link was with Linkle, the girl supporting the young Knight as he limped toward his approaching horse, a small smile on each of their lips. Cia noticed, then, that the red string that connected them was glowing brighter than ever. "No! Nonononononono!" She stomped her feet angrily, "Argh, Gods and Goddesses, I swear I'll have that little tramp's head!"

At a chuckle from Volga, the crazed woman wheeled around, pointing at him, "And you! You will not act without my say ever again!" She snapped, sparks of violet magic leaping from her nails, "If you do, I swear I'll take away that human form you desired so much, and turn you into the smallest rock lizard in the entire Province of Eldin!"

Volga grunted, it was no mere threat, he knew that. He gave a sigh of defeat, "Fine. I've found out what I want to know about the boy anyway... _.he's not worth my time._ " With that, wings of flame sprouted from his back and he took flight away from the sorceress.

Cia growled as he flew out of sight, "He's worth every bit of time you have, you stupid lizard!"

=x=

"Welcome back," Groose greeted the pair as they road in through the gates late that evening. He took one look at the girl sleeping against the his commander, and sighed, "That bad, huh?"

Link nodded tiredly, "I'll need to speak with all of you after we've both had sufficient rest." He said, sliding down from the saddle, wincing on account of his foot, "Can you have Epona and Linkle's horse fed and watered? And make sure they both get some apples and carrots in their troughs."

"Can do," Groose salute, smiling as Link took the girl in his arms and started limping toward the castle, "Should I have the maids bring up a potion for that?"

Link looked back at his friend and smiled, "I'd appreciate that, thank you."

Groose smiled as he took the horses toward the stables, "Get some rest, my friend. You've had a long day."

* * *

 _ **Things are heating up in both good, and bad ways for Link as Volga takes an unhealthy interest in him. Even as Cia interferes, Volga finds the Hero lacking in skill, and washes his hands of the boy. Meanwhile, Cia's obsession grows ever stronger with each passing moment, and the bond between Link and Linkle grows to maddening strength.**_

 _ **What will she do to get what she wants?**_

 _ **Don't forget to review!**_


	6. Chapter 6: Rising Problems

_**6: Rising Problems**_

* * *

The Archives were normally where Shad could get the most work done, being the Lore Master to the Queen, but lately, as he poured over maps and documents, the young man began to feel as though he wasn't doing enough. Certainly, he had helped Link during the war, but not in the field like the others had. His place had always been the Archives, or a library searching for information desperately needed.

Now?

He felt useless. Utterly useless. Link and the Knights of the Queen did all of the dirty work, so to speak, while he simply lounged around in the libraries, reading and researching topics that no one cared about anymore.

Now, even as a threat to the kingdom seemed imminent, all he did was research!

He leaned back in his chair away from his desk, and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Why cant I be more like them?" He wondered aloud.

"Because you're more useful as a scribe than a swordsmen, yeah?" Ashei's voice drifted to him softly as she entered the room. She was dressed for bed, a shawl around her shoulders, "What are you still doing up at this hour?"

Shad stretched himself, "I didn't realize how late it was," he groaned, "What time is it anyway?"

"Just past the first hour," Ashei moved over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, "Shad, I know you want to be of more use to us now that the war's over, but you can't spend all night doing research and not get any rest." She chided as he slid his chair back, allowing her to sit in his lap.

His arms went around her loosely, "If you're even telling me that I'm working too hard, then I must be in trouble." He sighed, "How are Link and Linkle?" He asked, "I understand they had quite a day?"

Ashei shrugged, and rested her head against his shoulder, "Groose said Link had a sprained ankle, and that's all I got out of him, but apparently, Link wants to talk to all of us in the morning...or in a few hours." She smiled, leaning away from him, "That includes you, Shad, so you had best come to bed, or you'll be too tired to hear what he has to say."

Shad snorted, "Funny thing is, I don't even feel tired."

The woman in his arms giggled, "I think I can help with that," she said, leaning into his lips and kissing him deeply. Shad eagerly returned the kiss, holding her against him tightly before she leaned away, "Or would you rather stay here and read all night?"

Shad chuckled, and rose from his chair with her in his arms, "What did I ever do to earn your affections?" He asked with a smile, moving around his desk and to the door.

Ashei reached up and flicked him on his ear, "You never need a reason to love someone," she told him, "It's just there."

=|Mature Content Warning|=

Link was running through the forest, away from the voices that pursued him, away from the river of blood he had helped to fill. "Leave me alone!" He roared, his voice echoing all around him and mixing with the voices of the dead.

 _Why? You were supposed to protect us...you killed us!_

"Shut up!" Link yelled as his feet began to bog down, looking down to see them sinking into the ground, the earth shaping itself into hands that pulled him down further, faces beginning to form.

 _You should have saved us!_ An old woman's voice shouted.

 _You should have protected us!_ The voice of a child screamed.

 _You murdered us!_ A man's voice shouted.

Link scrabbled against the ground, trying to break free of their hold, but he was sinking deeper and deeper into the ground, "No, please! I didn't mean to!"

His words died on his lips as the ground swallowed him, his vision darkening.

"Enough!"

Link suddenly found himself floating down to rest on a bed incredibly soft as gentle hands caressed his face. "My poor, poor Hero," a woman's voice cooed over him, "Such horrible dreams haunt you even though you did what only needed to be done." Soft lips pressed against his in a brief kiss that made him open his eyes. The woman above him was undoubtedly beautiful. Her hair was the silvery color of starlight, her skin dark, and her eyes violet.

What got his attention most of all, however was that fact that she was straddling him, and that they were both naked as the day they were born. Heat rose to the Knight's cheeks as he tried to speak, but the woman only kissed him again, and more deeply than before. Her hands stroked his face and ran her fingers through his hair gently as she kissed him. Her body moved against him, her breasts rubbing against his chest, causing his body to react.

She pulled away from him with a coy smile on her lips, "If you wish it, I can take you away from all of this," she said with a movement of her hips, making him hiss, "Away from your trials, the ceaseless battle, your nightmares." She purred as she raised herself up, and impaled herself on him, a moan of pleasure coming from her throat as he groaned at the suddenness of the action. "All you have to do is surrender yourself to me."

"Who are you?" Link groaned, straining against the pleasure he was feeling. This was far too _real_ for any sort of dreams!

She leaned down again, capturing his lips once more, "Someone that's watched your struggles for a long time, and come to love you," she said against his lips, "Can you not feel it? You've restrained yourself from what you've wanted all along." She reared up, circling her hips around him, eliciting a bestial growl from him as he reached for her. "An escape from all of it." Her hand spread across his chest, scraping his skin with her nails, and making him shiver. "They call you a Hero, yet your own village was ready to turn on you the moment they saw your other self." She purred, moving herself up and down on him tortuously slow, "They all look at you with fear when your back is turned for what you did. What you became for them."

"No." He shook his head, trying to dispel her words from his thoughts as he remembered.

"Yes," she moaned, arching her back, "You became a beast for the ones you loved, a monster, but now they mistrust you, hate you, fear you!"

"Shut up," Link rolled them over, looming over her with snarl on his lips. But the woman only smiled warmly at him as she reached up to cup his face in her hands, "Who. Are. You." He repeated heatedly.

The woman giggled, "I am whoever you want me to be," she said, her form wavering for a moment before the face of his queen appeared beneath him, "I could be the fair and elegant queen, loved by all," she said in Zelda's voice, and changed again, "Or I could be the sweet and innocent childhood friend that loved you, but dared not to touch you, and led you on a hellish journey through light and darkness," she said in Ilia's voice, and rushed forward in a kiss that knocked him flat on his back once again as Ilia's doppleganger rose up again, "Oh, Link, you don't know how long I've wanted you!" Ilia's voice rang in his ears.

"Stop it!" Link growled, attempting to rise again, but she held him down at the shoulders.

A laugh bubbled up in her chest, making her pert breast bounce lightly, "But don't you love me, Link?"

"You're not Ilia, or Zelda!" Link growled.

She smiled down at him, leaning down to his ear, "Then how about me... _Mister Link_?" Link stiffened as the vision of Linkle rose up, a perpetual blush across her cheeks, and tears in her eyes, "I'm so happy, Mister Link! I love you so much!"

Link's blood began to boil as the phantom girl's voice rang out in his ears. "Not that face," he growled, his teeth sharpening, "Do not speak to me in that form!" His voice grew from growl to roar as he rose up, his teeth locking around the stranger's throat, a scream coming from her that would haunt him for days to come as Linkle's voice screamed.

A moment after his teeth clamped down, Link sprang up from his bed, his body covered in sweat, gasping for breath.

"Mister Link?" Link jumped as he heard Linkle's sleepy voice drift to him as the girl sat from the couch, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief, "It's just a dream," he sighed quietly, and laid back, his arm covering his eyes, "thank the Goddesses."

"For what?" Linkle asked, slightly more awake now. She swung her feet from the couch and padded over to him, "Are you okay?"

Flashes of Linkle's body ran through his mind as he felt her standing over him."I'm fine, just a bad dream."

Linkle bit her lip, "Was it...was it about the war?"

"Yes." Link sighed, not really lying, but it wasn't exactly the whole truth, either.

The girl nodded, seating herself on the side of his bed. "I'm sorry for bringing it up so much...Mister Gondo told me what you had to go through..."

Link shook his head, and moved his arm so he could see her. Her hair was undone from the two pigtails she usually had around her face, and hung loosely about her shoulders. The nightgown she wore was formfitting, giving him a slight view of her body as the light made the material slightly see-through. He blushed shamefully and averted his gaze. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

Before Linkle could reply, a knock on the door interrupted her. A woman entered the room, carrying a tray, "Good morning, Sir Link, I - _Oh_!" Her cheeks reddened at the sight of the pair in the room. "I beg your pardon! I had no idea that - "

" _OUT_!" The woman hurriedly set the tray down and scurried out of the room. Probably to start some wild rumor about the Knight Commander and some farm girl he took to bed. Link groaned as he rolled to his feet, wincing as he put to much pressure on his injured foot. He should have stayed awake longer and waited for that potion!

=x=

Cia laughed herself silly as she laid out on her bed. It seemed the the Hero had a dark side to him. And what a side! "Who knew that dream walking could be so much fun," she giggled to herself, the feeling of Link's body against hers lingering, "If it felt that good during a dream, I can't wait to take him for myself!"

She rolled out of bed, summoning her clothes around her, dressing herself with a snap of a finger. She strode out of her bedroom in a far better mood than she had ever woken up to. "Now then, how to get him to surrender?" She said, holding out her hand for her scrying crystal.

She found Link in the halls of the castle with that silly tag-along that always seemed to be at his side. He looked quite frazzled, and frustrated, which told her that the dream had left him quite unsatisfied.

"Hmm, I'll have to make sure to make it up to him," she smirked seductively as she watched him enter the castle Archives where the queen, and her knights waited.

She tapped the crystal once with her nail, "Volga?"

The image of the Dragon Knight appeared in her crystal, "What do you want, now, Mistress?"

Ignoring the bite in his voice, the sorceress smiled at him, "How would you and a few of your kin like to have a little fun?"

=x=

Link felt his brow twitching violently as even Zelda held a hand over her lips to hide her smile, while the rest of his men were less restrained in their mirth, Ashei and Groose actually laughing at him, albeit quietly while Shad and Pipit's shoulders were shaking with barely held mirth. Rusl was looking at the young man proudly as he and Linkle stood together, the girl wondering why everyone seemed to be in such a good mood.

"So,"Groose put in, "Have a late evening?"

"Groose, I swear to Hylia - " Link growled, silencing the man who held up his hands in surrender.

Zelda cleared her throat, "I believe you called us here for a reason, other than to threaten Sir Groose, Commander Link," she said, though he could easily hear the laughter in her voice. Really, how did gossip spread so damned fast?

"Right," Link growled, "If everyone can control themselves," he glared around the table, which made everyone clam up, including the queen. "Alright, as you all know, Linkle and I rode out to the Gerudo Desert yesterday." They all nodded, "Well, we found what we were looking for. The Bulblins have built a bridge, and are flooding into Hyrule in mass." Link said.

"But I thought you said that the Bulblin's leader respected you too much to risk another battle?" Zelda put in, know very little about the Blin cultures.

"He did," Link nodded, "But there's a new King among them, and he's not as nice as the old one." He said, remembering the battle, "If it wasn't for Linkle's keen eyes, I would have been killed."

Linkle blushed under his praise, "You would've done the same for me, Mister Link."

"Anyway," Link put in before Ashei could get started on him, "It's clear enough that the new leader is not so keen on peace between Bulblins and Hylians, or anyone for that matter. Add insult to injury, he's huge, far bigger than the old King, and he's downright vicious. Again, it was thanks to Linkle I was able to beat him, and no small part to her modified crossbows from Gondo."

Zelda pondered for a moment, "What shall we do about them, then?" She asked of Link, "Our forces are spread as thin, and what new forces that are being trained are no match for even a Bokoblin, yet?"

Link shook his head, "It's not going to be as simple as beating their leader, this time," he sighed, "Before he could come at me again, a portal opened up beneath him and sucked him through it." He let his words sink in before continuing, "Whoever is riling up the Bulblins is a mage, and a strong one at that if they can open a portal that large."

"I know very few with any magical abilities anymore," Zelda said, "Myself being one of them...the other couldn't possibly want to harm us, or anyone for that matter. She is a Guardian of Time."

"Then maybe she can help us?" Shad put in, "And I think I know how we can better prepare ourselves for fighting magic."

"How?" Link asked.

Shad, true to nature, pulled out a book from his coat, "According to my research notes, the Sacred Grove where you found the Master Sword, Link, is home to another temple...a tomb of sorts."

Link groaned, "Wonderful, another wild cucco chase!"

"Now, now," Shad chided, "It's a little more complicated than that."

Link crossed his arms, and glared, "How is it different than any other temple or tomb I've blundered through?"

Shad rolled his eyes, and sighed, "Because, Link, this is not just any tomb that is guarded by some enchanted golem, overgrown plant, or some Dragon." He said, "It's the resting place of the Hero!"

The room went so quiet one could almost hear a pin drop. Link recovered his composure first and scrubbed his face, "Shad, you're joking, right?" He asked, "People have been searching for the Hero's Tomb for as long as He's been around, so what makes you think you've found it?"

Shad opened his book and produced a piece of parchment, "I believe you'll recognize this, Link," he said, unfolding the paper, "It's the map you had when you went into the Temple of Time." As he laid it out, he turned it over, revealing...another map, "The location of the Tomb was always right under our noses, right behind the Master Sword's resting place lies a door, hidden by magic, and only reachable by another Hero."

Link leaned over the map, scanning the rooms and levels, "Shad...I crawled all over this area, there was no door." He said, looking at his friend.

Shad smiled at him, "That's because you didn't know what to look for." He said, tapping the edge of his glasses, "The door is in the wall directly behind the pedestal. If you had known what to look for, then you would have seen it right away, but since you lack the skills of magic, or any knowledge of magic, you bypassed it, and went right for the temple."

Zelda was looking over the map herself, noting the first room was large, and had many rectangles in that room, suspecting that it was the burial chamber, "All of these can't be the Past Heroes?"

"They are," Shad said, "the map was written in ancient Hylian, but I managed to crack the code only a few days ago before all this madness with the Bulblins sent it right out of my head, but it says that 'All Heroes come to rest in the Sacred Land of Hylia.' It's talking about where the Master Sword fell to Earth after the Hero of the Sky defeated Demise. A portion of the land came crashing down to Earth to seal him away for ever, thus bringing Hylia sacred ground to Hyrule, and where all the Heroes are entombed after their death, even if they're physically buried someplace else!"

"What exactly are you looking for in this tomb, Shad," Zelda asked, looking at the scribe, "What does it hold that could be of value?"

Shad smiled at the queen, and pointed to the room just behind the burial chambers, "This is an Archive, full of spell tombs, and ancient knowledge," his finger then slid across the map to a smaller room, "This is a treasury, said to hold untold riches amassed by the Heroes of old." He then jabbed his finger at a third room, "And this? This is an armory, where all of the weapons and armor of the Heroes have been stored throughout time! If we could replicate even one of them, or take at least one book, then we would have no need to worry about attack when we have so few Knights."

Link crossed his arms, "What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Shad asked.

"Yes, catch, there's always a catch to something like this," Link said, "Every tomb or temple I've always come across a guardian, or some kind of monster put in place to keep everything in, or to keep you from leaving if you got anything."

Shad looked over the text written on the map, "It doesn't say anything about a monster, if that's what you're getting at."

"But?" Link prodded.

"But," Shad sighed, "The texts say that when the Hero enters the tomb, he shall be guided by the first companion."

Link grunted, "I don't like the sound of that."

Zelda laughed softly, "Don't be so cynical, Link. This could turn out to be a good venture."

Linkled beamed, "Does that mean we get to go?"

"Linkle the only way you wouldn't be going is if I wanted Hyrule in ruins when I returned, " Link smirked at her.

She puffed out her cheeks cutely, "That's mean!"

"It's true!" Link laughed.

"Is not!"

"Alright!" Shad laughed, trying to calm them down, "I'm glad you're on board for this, but who else is coming?"

"Just you, me, and Linkle," Link stated, his arms crossed, "I can't leave Hyrule so low on manpower, and Groose has to stay here and work on those new weapons of his."

"Plus my arm's still out of commission," Pipit put in, flexing the arm still in the sling.

Ashei looked at Shad and sighed, "And I'm no good at raiding tombs. I'm more of a scout."

Zelda smiled at the Knights, "It's settled then. The three of you will leave after breakfast."

=x=

"So, that's what they're up to," Volga smirked as he watched the crystal in Cia's hands, "If he finds anything of value, or merit, then he could easily give us a problem."

Cia smiled at him, "That's why I asked you here." She said, "Keep him busy long enough for your friend to devastate Hyrule."

"He's not my friend," Volga growled, "But he is itching to have a crack at Hyrule after what happened to his father. He will want Link."

Cia nodded in understanding, "I know this quite well, but you must control his blood lust." She moved away from her crystal, "I have other plans to keep him so burned out that when I come to him again, he will all but beg me to take him away from it all!" She cackled, and disappeared through a shadow portal.

Volga, for once, paid the woman no mind and grinned, "Argarok's child will be very pleased to destroy all that get in his way."

Cia, meanwhile, reappeared on the shores of Lake Hylia, and quickly slipped into the water, not bothering to take a breath as the water was as air to her. The time when the lake was in danger because of the birth of Morpheel was long passed, but not so when one forgot that new species, even ones created through magic, have a tendency to sometimes have a nasty surprise.

A surprise that Cia was all too happy to cultivate as she came across what she was looking for on the lakebed. And there were many. Morpheel had been a self-replicating creature on its own, and now the lake bed was host to what she counted to be two dozen bomb-sized eggs, each one beginning to develop into its own little terror.

Surprisingly, the Zorans had not thought to look for such things. Where dark magic was concerned, one should never expect things to turn out well. She held up a small ball of darkness of her own and gave a gentle blow, sending it wafting over the eggs. "Grow, little ones...grow for me!"

The eggs began to writhe under her magic, and soon a grotesque head poked out of the first egg, followed by a sibling, and another until all of them had started hatching.

All of the little monsters crowded around Cia, recognizing her as their "parent", who cooed over them. "That's right, my darlings...go now...feast on Zoran flesh, and any fool that dares enter this lake." And the monstrous fish were off. Devouring anything that got in their paths.

The Zorans that guarded the underwater entrance to their domain saw that pack of ravenous creatures coming, and quickly shot inside the tunnel, and closed the stone slab used as a gate, causing the beasts to slam into it and start biting away at the stone, tearing it away in small chunks.

But the stone held little interest for the as it was not food. So they turned their attentions toward the fish, and what people lived on the lake.

Up the river lay a cottage. This was the home of one of three siblings. Iza was a young woman in her early twenties, and ran a canoeing business that allowed people to experience the rapids of the Zoran's river to its fullest. But business was slow as usual. The only person that visited was either a young Knight named Link, or one of the Zoran's that helped guide the boat down stream.

It was one such Zoran that was keeping her company. "It's not all that bad," he said to the sulking woman, "At least you have a beautiful home on the river?"

Iza sighed, and crossed her arms behind her head, "I know I have a great place her, Ludo, but Goddesses, it gets boring!" She complained, "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy your company, but I just wish I got more business than just one thrill seeker."

Laying his arms on the back where he floated, Ludo sighed, and said, "Perhaps you should take some time off? Go see those siblings I keep hearing about?"

Iza sighed again, and smiled, "Hena and I never really got on, but I guess seeing Coro wouldn't be so bad..."

Ludo smiled at her, "That's the spirit. Family always helps when times are - GYAH!"

Iza jumped up at the agonized shout from her friend and found him scrabbling against the ground, frantically trying to get out of the water. "What the - ?!"

"Iza! Help me!" Ludo screeched, "Something's got me!" The water behind him rolled and turned red as whatever had him pulled him deeper, "By Nayru it's eating me!"

Iza screamed and grabbed an oar, "Hang on!"

Ludo screamed again as he was dragged further and further into the water. Iza ran down the banks and slapped the water with the paddle, hoping to scare whatever was attacking him away.

Something grabbed in, and nearly hauled her into the water herself, but she let go just as she was about to fall, and grabbed hold of Ludo's arms, "Kick it or something!"

"It's got my legs!" Ludo howled, his body trembling violently, "Tell King Ralis! Tell the king - Eiya!" He was pulled out of her grasp, and hauled down into the water where she saw four large shapes converging on the poor Zoran. The water boiled red as the creatures feasted.

"L-Ludo?" Iza trembled, her bladder emptying as the dark shapes began to surface again, and a pale arm shot out of the water, only to be swept back down river as the beasts left with their prize.

* * *

 _ **Violence begins to erupt as Cia plans to corrupt the Hero. Volga, and the child of Argarok are about to descend on Hyrule and the Hero's Tomb, while Lake Hylia and the Zora's are under siege from the offspring of an old foe.**_

 _ **What lies within the Tomb, and who is the Guide Shad spoke of? Link is about to have his hands full.**_

* * *

 _ **AN: I know Morpheel was most likely a mutation of a lake dwelling fish, due to the exposure to the Fused Shadow piece, but what new species doesn't have a survival instinct? So I will call these new little terrors Morphites**_ _ **. Also, I hope you liked the bit with Link's dream, with Cia the way I've written her, this is something that she would attempt.**_

 _ **Don't forget to review!**_


	7. Chapter 7: The White Sorceress

_**7: The White Sorceress**_

* * *

"These creatures have laid waste to everything in the lake!" A Zoran warrior snarled in anger as he watched the waters below them, "Twenty of my finest warriors went to fight them, but none of them have returned." He said, turning to the young Zoran beside him, "King Ralis, what are we to do about these beasts? None of us can get near them without being attacked!"

Ralis, the once fallen prince of the Zorans, and now king, couldn't fathom what could have brought such monstrous beasts unto his people. From the description of the animals, they sounded like the beast that his friend Link had once fought inside the Lakebed Temple. But these creatures seemed only a fraction of the size.

Ralis sighed in thought, and looked at his warrior, "Send word to Hyrule about these creatures. Our rivers run right through their lands, and I don't want these monsters spreading to the sea." He said, "In the meantime...have our warriors start hunting Bari."

"The electric jellyfish?" The warrior said, "But...Your Highness, we haven't consumed them since - "

"The era of the last Hero," Ralis nodded, "But what choice do we have? If we don't eat them, our warriors won't be able to produce an electric field. If that doesn't help against these animals, then I fear nothing will."

The Zoran warrior sighed, and nodded, "It will be done, Sire."

"Be careful when hunting the Bari," the young king said, "We don't want any one else getting hurt." He looked down into the pool resting at the bottom of his domain, seeing two large shapes already circling lazily. "Link, what would you do?"

Ralis sighed and sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the pool, "You would fight, wouldn't you? Even though I know you hate battle, you would do what must be done." He rose, and strode back into the throne room, where four guards were stationed, "Bring me my father's harpoon!" He told the men, "We hunt the Bari!"

=x=

Link, meanwhile, was looking over the ledge that led into the Lost Woods. "How in the world are we going to get across?" Shad asked as he peered over the edge. "It's quite a long ways to simply jump?" He said, looking back at the Knight Commander.

Link sighed,"The last time I came out this way, I was a wolf, and then I had Rusl's help the second time." He said, reaching into his pouch, "This time, you'll both just have to hold onto me."

Linkle, who had been tending to the horses, looked over at him. "What are we going to do about Thunder and Epona?" She asked, referring to her large battle horse, which had finally calmed down around her, and Link's mount.

Link smiled at the girl as he fiddled with his claw shots, "They'll be alright here." He said, testing the aim of one of the claws, "They'll be with friends."

"Friends?" Shad said as he came up to him, "Are there people here?"

Link smirked, "Not people." He said, and gave a hooting call that sounded like some sort of animal. Not a moment later, a confused looking Shad found himself on the receiving end of an enthusiastic hug from a large, hairy monkey.

Linkle shrieked as a smaller monkey landed on her shoulder, grinning like a loon, and hopped off toward Link, who smiled at them, and ruffled it's fur. The young girl smiled as the roughed each other up a little before the Knight set the beast back on the ground, making a few hand signs to the monkey that it seemed to understand as it nodded along with the signs, hooting to it's fellow, and hopping over to the horses, and jumping over to their saddles.

"There you have it," Link smiled, "They'll be fine until we get back, and Epona's smart enough get herself out of trouble if it comes down to it, she'll go back to Ordon."

"Then how do you purpose we get across?" Shad asked again.

Link gave him a look that scared the man to his bones, "I'll have to carry you across with my claw shots."

Shad gulped as he looked at the two items in his hands, "Are...are you sure that they'll be able to support our weight?"

"The held onto a giant dragon," Link said, smirking as he motioned for them to come close, "They may be old, Shad, but they're still strong."

Shad was a little more than worried as Link gestured for him to grab a hold of him while he hoisted Linkle onto his back.

"I hope I'm not too heavy, Mister Link," Linkle blushed as she took hold of his shoulders, and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Link shook his head, "You feel as light as a feather, but wrap your arms around my neck," he told her, "I don't want you falling off."

Shad grasped the man around his neck as well, "I still don't think this is a good - " Link fired at the closest branch " - ideeeeeaaaa~!" Shad howled as they shot forward. Linkle screamed as they left the ground, only for her breath to leave her as Link landed roughly on the branch below his target with a swing of his feet.

Link smiled gleefully, and said, "Now hang on, because I'll need both hands for the next few branches!"

"What do you - AHHH!" Shad shouted as they were off again, and Link used his other claw shot and swung from the first to the next branch, firing double quick to keep his momentum. For a moment, the two passengers felt fear rush through them as both claw shots were free of the branches, and they free fell through the air. But just as they thought the worst, Link fired both of them, the claws slamming into a gigantic branch, and swung his arms back behind himself to haul their weight up and over.

"Here we go!" Link roared, "Hang on!"

"To what?!" Shad yelped.

"I don't like flying!" Linkle whined.

Link laughed and shot down through the trees, and hauled back on the chains once more, his passengers screaming madly, before he hung limply over a small cliff, and lowered himself down to the ground, "Alright, you two, we're across."

"Thank the goddesses!" Shad lept off of his back and fell to the ground, hugging the earth, "I never want to do that again!"

"Linkle, you can let go now," Link told the terrified girl as she clung to him, smiling. The girl shook her head stubbornly. "Aw, come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"I don't feel so good..." Linkle groaned as she slid from his back, staggering dizzily.

Link chuckled and reached out to her shoulder to support her. "Sorry, but I didn't know any other way to get across."

"It is...an unusual way to travel," Shad groaned as he got to his feet, "Is there a way for us to go around, next time?"

Link shook his head, "Afraid not, but it won't be as rough when we leave," he assured them as he strode toward the treeline. "Come along, we've just a short journey ahead of use before we reach the temple."

"How do you know?" Linkle asked as she followed after him with Shad bringing up the rear.

Link gave her a smile over his shoulder, "I just remember which way to go without the forest playing with me."

"Playing with you?" Both his companions said as they came to an arch of trees.

Link nodded, "That's right," he said, "Even when I'm a wolf, this place has a way of tricking you, but if you know which way to go and have no malicious intent, then the forest will leave you alone."

As he passed under the arch, Linkle noticed that the path was far darker than it should have been for a simple tunnel of trees, which worried her and made he cling to his side as they passed through. Shad also took notice, "This seems strangely long for a simple hollowed out tree?"

"It's like I said, the forest likes to mess with those that harbor ill intent." Link said, pointing ahead, "But you'll notice than you can see all around you, even if it's dark in here for the moment. See? Up ahead."

Sure enough, light began filtering into the tunnel, and soon, they came out into a what appeared to be a courtyard, or what was left of one. It was a large, open area with a paved stone yard at which stood two large statues on either side of a massive door. "This is...incredible!" Shad breathed out, "These are the ruins of the first castle of Hyrule from the first era!" He said, smiling as he strode forward, "The stonework alone is priceless!" He said as he examined the giant statues.

Link chuckled as he and Linkle moved forward, "Wait until you see the Pedestal of Time."

Linkle, however, was marveling at the forest around the area, having never seen anything like it. "It's so beautiful here!" She said, "It almost feels like magic with how full of life everything is!"

Shad had long since left the pair behind and gone on ahead in search of the tomb they had come to find. Link was in no particular hurry. It had been some time since he had visited this place, and even then he hadn't been there to sight see. The sheer beauty was almost overwhelming for the young man, even though he himself had grown up in a forested area.

He almost laughed as he saw Linkle chasing after a butterfly as if she were a child. _To think she wants to become a Knight,_ he thought as he watched the girl, a frown coming to his face when he thought of the being in his dreams. She had morphed into the girl, which made aware that she, whoever she was, knew about her, and thought that she was highly important to him, making her a target...

Link shook his head as the image of her atop him flashed through his mind, shaken by his thoughts. He turned for a moment, averting his eyes from the girl. He realized that she was quite beautiful, very much so. And when he was around her, he could never hold back a smile for very long, and she was so energetic, even when she was bumbling around in a tizzy over something. But that didn't mean he had feelings for her...did it?

Link's inner wolf, however much he wanted to deny it, saw all the women around him as potential mates, including Zelda, but the man that he was didn't see her as such, nor did Ilia seem to be a match for him, however much he cared for her, loving her more than a sister seemed beyond what he was capable of. Linkle? She intrigued him, of course, but that was because there were so few women that wanted to be Knights of Hyrule.

The problem was that when the sorceress took her image...he didn't find it all that displeasing.

Not that he'd had time for women, no, that was something he hadn't gotten around to, busy as he was. Zelda had tried to change that, having introduced him to some of the ladies in her court, but none of them caught his fancy. Not like the girl that had come bumbling into his life like a rampaging Bulbo.

Linkle giggled as the little butterfly she had been chasing walked along her finger before fluttering away, the girl giving it a small wave as it went. It wasn't until then that Link realized he'd been staring at her.

"Hey!" Shad yelled, distracting them both, "I've found it!"

Link hurried into the courtyard with Linkle right behind them to find an excited Shad dusting away at a wall behind where he found the Master Sword. The young scribe seemed to be trying to pry something open with his dagger. "Shad, what in the world are you doing?" Link yelled, grinning.

"This is the door!" Shad grunted, heaving on the dagger, "Most assuredly so! Wah!" The dagger snapped off at the hilt, and Shad went tumbling over, "AH! That was a gift from Ashei!"

Link chuckled and helped the man up, "The blade died for a good cause," he said, smirking, "But don't worry, maybe Gondo can fix it up."

Shad grunted, "This will all be worth it if we can just get this door open!" Shad snapped, and returned to trying to pry the door open. "Gah, there's got to be a mechanism somewhere that opens this door!"

Link nodded and began examining the wall, looking something that could pass as a key hole, or a pressure plate. Linkle was looking at the wall with curiosity, when she came across a circular indention. "Um, Mister Link, Mister Shad?"

"What?" Both men asked as they looked at her, and she pointed to the hole.

Shad came up to it, looking at the markings around it, "Hm, I think this is the key hole, but...I have no idea where the key might be?"

"Some sort of round object," Link said, running his fingers around the outer edges, "the key's I've always come across to tombs like this have been obvious in shape, but I've never seen anything like this before."

Linkle took a look inside of the indention and noticed a symbol of the Triforce engraved in the stone. "Hey..." she said, and took out her family's compass, "That looks like my compass!"

Shad turned to her just as she held the item in question up to the key hole, and was stunned to see it begin to glow. "That's it!" He grinned, "That has to be the key to the tomb!"

"Linkle, place it in!" Link urged.

Linkle did as she was asked, and placed the compass into the key hole. The wall lit up with a golden line running like rivers all over it, coming into the shape of a giant Triforce, split down the middle, and the door creaked open.

"Finally!" Shad yelled in triumph.

"Well done, Linkle," Link smiled at the girl as she beamed at him, retrieving her compass as it fell from the door.

Linkle replaced the compass around her neck, smiling fondly. _Maybe I do have a connection to the Hero?_ She thought as she tailed after the commander.

"Shad!" Link called out, "Don't get to far ahead!"

Shad had nearly gone in too far for him to be seen in the darkened corridors as Link hurried to catch up with his lantern held aloft, "I'm sorry, Link, but this is just too exciting!"

Link sighed and sparked a light into the lantern, holding up for Linkle's as well. "I understand to an extent, but you need to realize that tombs like this have traps all around to prevent people like us from taking anything," he told the scribe, "Ashei would never forgive me if anything happened to you, and I wouldn't forgive myself, either."

Shad looked slightly shaken at the thought of not returning to Ashei. "I'll be more careful."

"Good," Link said, and took the lead, "Now, come along, and watch your step."

Shad took out the map as Linkle held up her lantern for him to see, "If we follow this path, it should lead us right into the burial chamber." He said, Link listening carefully, "As we pass into said chamber, there should be a hallway that shoots off to the right that leads into the library, and further up to the left should be the hall that leads into the armory. We'd hit the treasury if we kept going straight."

Link nodded, "I'm not sure about the burial chambers, but the treasury and the armory are most likely to be heavily guarded." Link said, "And I'm still wary about this _first companion_ you mentioned."

Linkle looked at the map in confusion, "But...doesn't companion usually mean a kind of friend?" She asked, "If this companion was supposed to be a threat, then wouldn't the map say so?"

"Maps can be misleading," Link sighed, "I've gotten lost too many times to believe everything I see on them...and then never show what traps could be hidden."

Shad sighed and rolled up the map, "The queen was right, you are too cynical."

"I'm a realist," Link said.

"Don't be so - " Linkle began, but the hall opened up into a massive room. "Oh..." As the room opened up, the chamber was shown to be filled...tombs.

Shad felt his breath leave him as he took in the sight before him, "All of these...they can't be - !"

"The Heroes of old," Link said, holding his lantern high, looking at the numerous coffins, "There's...so many!"

=x=

Cia smiled down at the crystal in her hands as she watched Link's expression when he came upon his future tomb. Only now did the latest Hero realize the severity of his future. Where he would eventually end his days, whether he was buried in an unmarked grave, or in the royal graveyard of the castle. His body would come to that very tomb to rest for all of eternity only for his soul to move onto the next vessel.

"Now you understand," she purred to the Hero's image, "This is your destiny; an undying cycle of death and rebirth throughout time. Never to have true peace or rest, your soul will soldier on through countless centuries to come, whether you are needed or not...this is _your_ fate!"

=x=

"This is...my fate?" Link breathed out.

Linkle looked at him in worry, "Mister Link?"

Link shook himself, "It's nothing," he said, forcing a smile to his face, "Come on, let's get moving."

Linkle nodded and followed him closely, shyly reaching for his free hand. When Link looked down at the girl, she blushed, "It's...scary in here."

Link nodded in understanding, and gripped her hand in his, "Stay close to me, and don't leave my side for an instant."

Shad was right behind the pair, his map out again, "I knew that there were many Heroes before you, Link, but...there must be hundreds here!" He said as he looked around the chamber.

Link grunted, "I wonder if any of them lived peaceful lives, or if they were all forced to fight?" He wondered grimly. Linkle trembled at this as they passed a marbled tomb that looked...slightly newer...

Link felt her hand slip from his for a moment, and turned, "Linkle?"

Linkle was standing near the tomb she had been taken an interest in, "This...this says ' _Here Lies the Tragic Hero of Time_ '."

Link's eyes widened as he neared her, and looked down at the stone coffin, "This is..."

"The Hero that came before you," a new voice said, causing Link to go for his sword, but a bright, white light blinded the trio as he raised his shield.

"Linkle, get behind me!" Link shouted, his blade poised.

Shad shielded his eyes, "Don't be so hasty! This could be the companion!"

"Indeed, I am," the voice, a woman, said as the light died down, "I am the first companion to guide the Hero on his journey through the world below in search of his love, Lady Hylia, Princess Zelda's ancestor." Link lowered his shield, giving him and Linkle the first look at the companion.

She was...unlike anything he had ever seen before. She stood as tall as he did, floating only a few inches from the ground, her body blue and purple in coloration, even draped in a blue shawl across her shoulders.

"I am Fi." She said, smiling at Link, "It's so good to see you again, my Master."

=x=

Zelda read and reread the letter she had just received from the Zoras. "This can't be possible..." she breathed out, her eyes widening at the severity of the situation, "It couldn't have reproduced without a mate!"

"Queen Zelda!" Pipit shouted as he ran into her office, "We've just gotten reports from Kakariko village about a Dragon sighting!"

The queen rose, "Are you certain?! A Dragon this far from the Eldin caverns?!"

"No ma'am...two Dragons." Pipit sighed, "The report came in from Renado himself, and you know he wouldn't lie about something like this."

Zelda sank back into her chair as a weight unlike anything she had ever felt in her eighteen years settled itself on her shoulders. "Two...have there been any casualties?"

"None," Pipit shook his head, "They...they were heading toward Ordon..."

"Then have Groose and Rusl move out immediately!" Zelda shouted, "I won't have Link's home burned to the ground with him people while he is away!"

"Aye, M'lady!" Pipit saluted with his good arm, "Shall I have Ashei accompany them?"

Zelda nodded, "Yes, aside from Link himself she is the finest bowwoman we have, but be quick, Pipit, there's no horse alive that can outrun a Dragon!"

Pipit nodded, and ran from the room, allowing the queen to slump over her desk, "Goddesses...two Dragons...and I've sent my commander into a tomb?" She shook her head, "I thought all of our trials were over when the war came to an end." She sat back, her hands covering her face, "Oh, how the goddesses must be laughing at me...Queen Zelda the Nineteenth, the fool!"

"The Dragons won't harm the people of Ordon."

Zelda yelped, her hand flying to her breast as her heart hammered against her ribs, "Who -?!"

The window of her balcony flew opened with a gust of wind, "The Dragons were sent to the Sacred Grove in where you sent your Hero," said a young woman's voice as she stepped into the room, "One of them is a young Dragon, bent on revenge because Link was forced to kill its parent in search of the Mirror of Twilight," Zelda's eyes widened as she saw the girl. She was fair, and trim, dressed in a light blue garb the same shade of her hair, with intelligent, violet eyes. "The other Dragon is going to come back here, and attack the castle."

"Who are you?" Zelda demanded, "And how do you know these things?"

The girl smiled, "I know them because it was my dear sister that sent the Dragons in the first place," she said with a wave of her hand, causing a chair to slide up to her as she sat down, crossing her legs, "As to who I am? My name is Lana, The White Sorceress."

* * *

 _ **Lana has revealed herself at last as Volga and the child of Argorok fly toward Link's little band while the Hero reunites with his oldest friend.**_


	8. Chapter 8: Trials

**_8: Trials_**

* * *

"Get those ballistas on the walls!" Groose roared, "With Dragons on the prowl, we haven't a moment to lose!"

Pipit was observing his large companion as he directed the lower ranked Knights with his latest defenses, an enormous crossbow he dubbed the ballista...well, technically, he wanted to call it the Groosenator model two, but Ashei, bless the dear woman, squashed that idea and said something about ballistics, leading the queen to call it a ballista...Groose was still pouting over the name, since his Groosenator(I.E. the catapult) had been such a success.

If the young Knight were to be honest, it was the first time he'd seen his friend so fired up over an upcoming battle, especially when it involved a Dragon, or possibly two.

Shockingly enough, as they prepared to ride out in aid of Ordon against the beasts, Zelda herself had come bumbling out of the castle in a mad dash to stop them, saying that one of the Dragons intended to double back and attack Hyrule.

How she knew this, he didn't know, but the moment the words left her lips, Groose had flown into a tizzy of movement as he made fast to bolster the castle's defenses.

"Groose," Pipit called up to the lumbering Knight upon the wall, "Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit?"

"A bit? A bit?!" Groose roared, "This is a Dragon we're talking about!" He lept onto a flag pole and slid all the way down to the ground where Pipit was standing. "And you heard what the one Link fought with could do," he said, a quaver in his voice, "It breathed fire, and wore armor for Din's sake!"

"Language," Pipit chided gently, smiling, "I highly doubt that the goddesses of power likes having her name take in vain?"

"Oh, forgive me!" Groose groaned, scrubbing his face, "I haven't been able to think straight since Her Highness told us that a Dragon was heading our way!"

"I know," Pipit sighed, "I was certain that the beasts were both heading toward Ordon, but as the Queen said, one is heading toward Commander Link's location, and the other one is most likely to head right back for us."

Groose sighed and sat down on an upturned barrel, "Link took down a Dragon all on his own," he said, reaching for his hammer and setting it on the ground at his feet, "We're all green horns compared to him, so what chance do we have against one?"

Pipit heft his injured arm, "Better than I do." He said, smirking forlornly, "I can't even use my sword right now, let alone draw a bow."

"Pip, I'm a coward," Groose grunted, "Facing a bunch of weak little Blublins is one thing, but a monster like a Dragon? I think I'd rather hide myself in the castle's wine cellar!"

"Cowardice is not fleeing the battle," said a young woman, startling the two, "It is fleeing the battle and not caring who else dies in the process."

Pipit felt his heart give a short stutter. "I...don't believe we've had the pleasure?" He said, fighting down a rising blush, and held out his good arm, "I'm Pipit, one of the Queen's Knights, and this is Sir Groose, another one of her Knights."

The woman smiled gently at them and nodded, "I know who you are. Zelda spoke well of you both, especially since Link seems to trust you so much with her safety."

Groose grunted again, "I may be a coward, but I would rather die than allow harm to come to the queen."

"And that tells me that you are no coward," she said, smiling at the large man before turning to the younger Knight, "And you are quite a warrior to have survived such an attack."

Pipit scratched the back of his head bashfully, "R-really, it was just blind luck...Sir Groose and Link are way ahead of me as far as skills go."

Seh smiled at him and reached out to touch his left arm. A blue light engulfed her hand, and traveled up his arm, "You modest becomes you, Sir Pipit," she said, taking her hand away, "But you lack confidence in your skills, which we will all need in this coming battle." She turned to leave while Pipit looked after her in wonder, "Oh, by the way," she said, looking over her shoulder, "My name is Lana."

"Lana..." Pipit breathed out as she continued on, "Such a pretty name..."

Groose snorted, "Sounds like you've got yourself a little crush there, Pippy?"

Pipit blushed, "Please don't call me that! Only my mother gets away with using that ridiculous nickname!" He growled, flexing his arm...and felt no pain! "What the - ?!" He took his arm from the sling, and rotated it slowly, "But...how did...when did...that's impossible!"

Groose whistled lowly, "Looks like she's a sorceress, too...picked a fine girl to fall for, Pip, but you'll have to work hard to impress a girl like that!"

Pipit kept looking down at his formerly injured arm, and in the direction that Lana had walked off in, toward the castle, in bewilderment. "She was a sorceress?" Pipit said in disbelief, "Seriously?!"

Groose pointed to his arm, "Don't believe me? She healed your arm, didn't she?"

"W-well, yeah, but - "

"Hey!" Ashei yelled from up on the wall, "Groose! Get back up here! The boys are having trouble with one of your stone chuckers!"

"Dammit, they're called Groosenators!" Groose roared, "Get that through your head, woman!"

"And I told you, I'm never, ever calling them that in a million years!" Ashei shouted down, "I've never heard anything so stupid!"

"It's not stupid! It's my invention, it's my right to decide what the name of it is!"

"Shad could think of a better name!"

Pipit chuckled nervously as one of Groose's and Ashei's near famous shouting matches started up. Near famous because a shouting match between Groose and Ashei couldn't hold a candle to Link when he was angry with someone.

=x=

"Fi?" Link growled out, his sword still held at the ready, "You're not here to fight us?"

The blue woman shook her head, "No, I am not." She said, smiling at the Hero, "I am only here as a guide through this tomb and its chambers...but I find it odd that you have come here..."

Shad chose then to step forward, "We've come here seeking knowledge and perhaps something that could help the people of Hyrule during this time of crisis." He said, "Our kingdom is beset by an unknown attack that sends hordes of beasts and monsters into our lands, and Link has near burned himself out from the fighting, even though we've only just come out of a war."

Fi cocked her head for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, I feel his weariness." She said sadly, "I have not seen one of the Heroes this worn from battle since his predecessor." She floated back for a moment, gesturing, "Be warned, for everything within this tomb comes with a price."

Link sheathed his sword, and crossed his arms, "What sort of price?"

"Something, I believe that none of you is willing to part with," Fi said cryptically, "Each room provides a test to the one that enters, even if that person happens to be a Hero. Each test is designed to break the one being tested. If you fail, you will, of course, have what you came for, but will be leaving something of greater value behind."

"That doesn't bode well," Shad said nervously, adjusting his glasses. "What is the price for knowledge of magic and the ancient techniques?"

Fi gestured to her left, "It is different for each person that enters the Archive. For some, it could be a bit of knowledge they possess that the Archive does not, or perhaps a piece of themselves." She said, "Either or, you will leave something of value behind, or leave with nothing."

Link sighed, "Figures that there would be a catch," he said, glaring at the scribe, "Alright, what about the Armory?"

Fi nodded, "That is a little more straightforward than the Archive," she said, floating to her right, "Within the Armory lies a mirror you must stand in front of before entering. If your heart is pure, then you may pass unbothered. But, if your heart is clouded even in the slightest by darkness, then the mirror will reflect that darkness back at you, and you will have no other choice but to fight."

"Well, that rules all manner of peaceful ways for me," Link said, striding up the steps, his hand going for his sword, "After all I've done, I'm not even close to being pure."

Fi floated alongside him, "Do you say that because of what you had to do in the war?"

"Yes," was Link answer, and strode into the hall.

Linkle made to follow him, but Fi appeared in front of her, "Forgive me, little one, but only one may enter at a time."

"But I - " Shad came up and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, "Mister Shad?"

He sighed and shook his head, "You should wait here, Linkle. I was the one that wanted to come here, so I should be the one to take most of the risks...however, Link is a fighter, and I'm not. He's well suited to this challenge."

Fi nodded, and floated toward he Archive, "Shall I escort you to the room of your choice?"

"Can Linkle come with me, or must I go alone?" Shad asked.

"The same rule applies to the Archive as it does to the Armory." Fi said, shaking her head, "I'm sorry, but the little one must remain here until your trials are done."

Shad sighed, "Then please, allow me to go ahead alone," he said, "The young lady shouldn't be left on her own."

"I was merely being polite when I offered to escort you," Fi said, "If you were a Hero, then you would have been allowed to go alone, but as you are not, then I must insist that I accompany you."

Shad nodded, "Have it your way, then." He said, and followed the spirit, leaving Linkle alone.

Linkle puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, "That's not fair..." she grumbled, "I wanna help, too!"

 _Your trial will begin shortly._ She yelped and whipped around with her crossbows drawn.

"Who said that?!"

 _Look behind you._

She did, and there, sitting on the Hero of Time's Tomb..."Mister...Link?"

"One of the many," he said, smiling sadly, and patted the tomb he sat on, "You see, I'm this fellow right here." He looked up at her and said, "I am the Tragic Hero of Time."

=x=

Link, his sword drawn once more, entered the hall of the Armory. The walls were lined with markings depicting his passed lives, and the thoughts unsettled him more so than the idea of facing whatever the mirror had in store for him.

The hall began to darken, and Link found himself staring at his reflection. "This must be it." He said to himself, and tapped his knuckle against the glass, his image doing the same. He then placed his hands on his hips, "Well? Aren't you gonna test me or something?" He asked his reflection, feeling slightly foolish, "I don't have all day, you know?"

"I know you don't," his reflection said, making him jump while his mirror image remained still, "That's why it's so enjoyable just standing here."

Link felt his brow twitching violently, "If this is some sort of joke - "

"It's only a joke if you find this whole situation funny," Mirror Link said, his smile dropping, "Did you know that I once fought with the Hero of Time? He and I had quit the battle. If it hadn't been for his unpredictability, I would have killed him easily."

Link swallowed, "Fi said you would test me, to see if I was pure of heart...well, I'm not, so shouldn't you be attacking me instead of giving me a history lesson?"

Mirror Link just shrugged, "Purity of heart and purity of body are two entirely different things, my other self." He said, "Being pure of the heart simply means you do things for others with nothing to consciously gain for yourself. As far as I've seen, though, you aren't entirely pure of heart."

"Then we fight?" Link asked, gripping his sword.

Mirror Link shook his head, "Always so quick to draw your sword," he sighed, "Now I know why the princess worries about you so much. You aren't entirely pure of heart because you carry guilt around like a bottled fairy."

"I know that already," Link snapped, "I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel the guilt that I do! You can't honestly expect me not to feel anything after what I've done!"

"To kill is to live, to live is to one day die," Mirror Link said, shaking his head, "All things at one point, from the smallest Kokiri child, to the mightiest Deku Tree will one day meet their mutual fate, that is simply the natural order of things." He said, and crossed his arms, "What you did in the face of Ganondorf's evil, even killing your fellow Hylians after they had been corrupted by Shadow, was done for the sake of others, even going so far as to accept the corruption of Shadow yourself, and embracing the beast within you, was done because you wanted to protect those important to yourself."

"But my hands are stained with blood," Link said, grinding his teeth, "how can you say I'm even a tiny bit pure?"

"True, you have tainted your hands with the blood of many," Mirror Link said, "But you only did so because you had no choice, and now the guilt of what you've done weighs heavily on you because you thought there could have been another way to fight those beasts, and return them to being people once again, but the sad truth of it all is that there are those that cannot be saved, no matter how hard you try."

Link sighed, looking down, "So...what does that mean for me?"

"You feel the guilt you do when you shouldn't," Mirror Link said, "It is all well and good to feel guilty for causing the death of another when you could have avoided such an out come, but not so when you didn't stand a chance in the first place. You even feel guilt for the death of Ganondorf, and went so far as to give him a proper burial. Link, the only reason your heart is impure is the unfounded guilt you carry because you killed people that had been irrevocably transformed into monsters, and for killing a man that had earned his fate a hundred times over because of his deeds throughout time. Or did you forget that your ancestors fought with the same man time and time again?"

"I..."

"Let go of your guilt," his mirror image said to him, "Let all of the pain you've put yourself through flow away like a river." His form began to waver, "You push others away because you are afraid that your blood stained hands would taint them as well, but it's time to let the blood be washed away because you are the only one that sees it there."

Link's mirror image began to fade, leaving the frame of the mirror open to the other side.

 _Let go of the weight of your burdens, and begin to live._

=x=

"This is the room you seek," Fi said, gesturing for Shad to enter. The man did eagerly, and smiled upon seeing the vast shelves of books and scrolls.

"Incredible," he breathed out, adjusting his glasses, "There must be thousands of ancient tombs in this library!"

"Five thousand, nine hundred-eighty-nine tombs to be exact," Fi said as she floated into the room, "That is not counting the books about alchemic potions, or the scrolls of detailed spell weaving, nor the texts on metal and wood work." She said, flaring her arms out, "Taking that into account, there well over ten thousand volumes inside this room."

Shad sighed, smiling, "It would take me years to sift through all of this knowledge...I doubt I would finish in my own lifetime!"

Fi floated closely for a moment, "There is another way for you to gain the knowledge from this Archive," she said, and floated in front of him, placing her fingers against his forehead, "In the countless centuries that I have resided within this tomb, I have read each of these texts thrice over, and I have committed it all to memory in order to restore damaged texts." She said, "If you wish it, I can pass all that I know into your own mind...but be warned, for every ounce of knowledge I pass, something must be taken from you."

Shad looked uncomfortable, "What...what would be taken?"

"Memories," Fi stated, "Though I'm not sure what sort of memories, they shall be important to you...think carefully before we begin."

Shad shook himself, "My friends and family are in danger because we don't know enough," he told the guardian, "I can't go back to them empty-handed!"

"Then it shall be done," Fi said, her form beginning to glow, "so begins your trial."

Blinding pain shot through his head as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt. Immediately, he began seeing things he knew weren't his own thoughts as Fi's magic poured her knowledge into his mind. But what began after that was beyond what he had expected.

His first meeting with Ashei.

He was young back then, only eighteen, and working as the castle scribe when he met her. He had come into the library to find her reading a book. She was younger than he was, only sixteen, and was training to become a Knight. Having been raised away from society, she knew very little about social interactions outside of her father.

The first thing out of her mouth when she saw him had been "You look useless."

It was a memory that made him laugh whenever he thought about it. A memory that began to fade and break away from him. "Wh-what's happening!?" Shad growled, "Why - ?!"

"This is the price that must be paid," Fi told him, her eyes glowing, "Those who seek knowledge forsake all else save for the pursuit of knowledge. Friendship, wealth, romance, all of these things are nothing but obstacles that stand in the way of that pursuit."

Another memory surfaced, making Shad gasp. He was outside in the fields around Castle Town helping his mentor gather herbs just as Ashei and her father were returning from hunting trip when a Leever had popped out of the ground near him and started chasing him around the field. Ashei had taken aim at the creature with her bow, and shot it down quickly, but not before it had chased him all the way to the moat. He had fallen in with a huge yelp, and larger splash just as she had killed it. The moat wasn't deep, but it was deep enough that he was completely soaked, with his glasses falling down his nose comically. It was then that he'd heard the most beautiful sound. Ashei's laughter.

She was still laughing at him when she reached out to help out of the water, but, in a fit of childishness, when he grasped her arm, he hauled back and pulled her in right along with him. When she glared at him, he had grinned at her, and her laughter returned in full force. It was the first time he had realized that he'd fallen for the young woman.

That too began to fade.

"Stop it!" Shad growled. "Stop taking my memories!"

Fi cocked her head, "But is this not what you wanted?"

Shad groaned as the memory of his and Ashei's first mission together came to the forefront of his mind, and he held fast to it. "I want the knowledge to protect those I care about!" He growled, the vision of himself and Ashei moving through the forests of Ordon. They had been ambushed by Bulblin archers, and he had lept in front of Ashei to defend her, taking an arrow through the right side of his chest. Ashei had dragged him out of harm's way at great risk to herself, even though he begged her to leave him.

She had refused.

Not long after that, they had hidden in tree hollow and waited for the Bulblins to lose interest while she tended to his injuries. It was the first time he had seen her so worried about anything since he'd met her. After she had bound his wounds, she had held him close, calling him every name she could think of. It was also the first time he had ever seen her cry.

As the memory slowly started to fade, the words that Ashei had spoken haunted him. "My life is yours, now," she had said, "Don't ever forget that!"

"STOP IT!" Shad roared, breaking the contact between them, and staggering back, glaring at the woman with pure fury, "Take your damned knowledge back! And give me back my memories!"

Fi floated away from him, regarding the man curiously, "I do not understand. Do you not want the knowledge offered by this place?"

"Of course I do!" Shad roared, "But the price is far too great to pay!" He said, "I refuse to forget about her! And if gaining any such knowledge means I have to forsake the bonds I've made through my life, then I'd rather be a fool!"

Fi regarded him for a moment, and smiled, "You have passed your trial." Shad's eyes widened in shock. "To forsake others for the sake of gaining knowledge is to forsake life itself, therefore forsaking true knowledge which is gained through experience." She held out her hand, producing a large shoulder bag, "Within this is the knowledge you wished to take from these Archives." She held it out for him to take, "Use it wisely."

Shad reached out hesitantly, "But..what about my memories?"

"I shall return them upon leaving this place," she said, smiling at him, "Link has also his trial, and is on his way back now...you should join him."

Shad took hold of the back and slung it over his shoulder, "These trials...were they meant to test our resolve...or teach us a lesson?"

Fi smiled at him, "A bit of both, I believe."

=x=

Link came back into the burial chamber around the same time that Shad did, both of them looking somber. "Oh, Shad...did you find what you were looking for?" Link asked.

"I did," he said, nodding slowly, "You?"

Link shrugged and pointed to his belt, "I picked up a few things." He said, making Shad look at him curiously, "Fi came looking for me and point this pouch out. Apparently it holds quite a bit." He said, looking around the room, "Where's Linkle?"

"Here!" Link nearly jumped out of his skin as the popped up from behind one of the tombs, "Oops, did I scare you?"

Shad chuckled, "You could say that...what were you doing down there?"

"Nothing really," Linkle said, blushing slightly.

Link gave her an annoyed look, "You fell asleep, didn't you?"

"No!" Linkle huffed, crossing her arms, "I had a long talk with the Hero of Time!"

Link smirked, "Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Then why is there drool on your chin?" Link asked with a grin, making the girl squeak in alarm while scrubbing her face. The motions caused something to fall from her cloak and clatter to the floor. Link saw that it was actually two somethings. A golden bow, and a harp made of gold not unlike the one he had seen Zelda play. "Where did you get those?"

"Oh," Linkle hurriedly gathered to two items up, and hid them behind her back, "Miss Fi gave them to me a little while ago...it's true!" She said when a look of doubt crossed their faces.

"The little one speaks the truth," Fi said as she drifted into the room, "She spoke with the previous Hero, and tasked me with gifting her with those items you see."

"See?!" Linkle pouted, "I'd never lie to you guys!"

Link grunted out a laugh, "I never doubted you, Linkle."

"Meanie."

Shad chuckled again, "We should get going," he said, smiling at the spirit, "We thank you for your generosity, and for your...guidance. I just hope we aren't too late in the use of what we've attained."

"Think nothing of it," Fi smiled kindly, "I am only sorry that the trials took such a toll on you all. Know that should you come again, you may do so without taking on such trials."

"Thank you," Link said somberly, "We'll go now."

Linkle bowed in Fi's direction, "Thank you very much, Miss Fi."

Fi nodded to the girl, "Take care little one. And all of you, remember what you have learned here."

With that she faded away.

Link sighed, "Come on, let's get out of here." He said, "I need some fresh air."

Shad nodded and followed after the man, Linkle bringing up the rear. The girl looked back over her shoulder at the crypt that held the sad Hero. His words to her rang in her ears like the toll of a bell.

 _Unlike the Hero, Hylia is not reborn nearly as often. She is the reason I was unable to rest as my days wore on. I searched for her, deluding myself into thinking I was searching for my lost friend, but in truth, I was searching for my other half...but she had not yet been reborn, even though she soon would be. But what I didn't know was that Hylia isn't always reborn as the Princess or Hyrule._

She held the harp Fi had given her closely, "What does that mean?"

"Linkle," Link yelled from the halls, "Keep up! I don't wanna leave you behind!"

"Coming!" Linkle yelped, and hurried after them, momentarily forgetting her worries. Link was waiting for her at the entrance as Shad stretched himself in the evening light.

Link smirked as she came up to him, and patted her on the head, "What am I gonna do with you?" He smiled, ruffling her hair, "Some Knight you're going to be if you keep lagging behind like that."

"I'm sorry," Linkle pouted.

Link sighed and placed his arm around her shoulders, "Hey, don't worry, just don't - "

 **THUD**

Link blanched as he felt the familiar concussion of a downward beat of a pair massive wings. "Linkle, Shad," he said quietly, reaching for his sword, "run for the trees, and don't you dare look back."

Linkle looked up at him frightenedly, "M-Mister Link?"

"What's happening?!" Shad asked, "What was that - "

 **THUD**

Link glared at the man, "Just go! There's no time to explain!" He hissed before ushering Linkle toward the stone gates.

 **THUD**

The sound grew louder, shaking the very air as it drew nearer. _Dammit, please don't be what I think that is!_ Link silently prayed as he pushed his friends behind a nearby boulder, forgetting about fleeing. "Whatever you two do, do not come out until I say so!"

Before either of them could protest, a massive roar sounded across the courtyard. Link scanned the skies as the thundering sound of the wings seemed to be right over head, his shield and sword ready.

Suddenly, a blast of fire hit the ground right beside him, knocking him away from the boulder and rolling toward the center of the courtyard, his eyes glaring up at the source. The beast wore no armor as the last one had, but he knew it was just as dangerous, if not more so because of its size. Argorok had been enormous, but this beast was nearly twice his size.

The Dragon looked down at him with yellow, hate filled eyes as its teeth dripped with molten flames, its tongues hanging out as if about to savor a meal. Linke and Shad held onto each other in fear as the beast perched just above them, going unnoticed as it focused on the Hero.

Link looked at them for only a moment to mouth one word: Run.

* * *

 ** _Things are about to get hellish._**

 ** _Don't forget to review if you liked the chapter!_**


	9. Chapter 9: Trial of the Hero

_**9: Trial of the Hero**_

* * *

There was no time to think. The Dragon snapped at him as if it were a coiled serpent, not even bothering to use its tail as Link made use of his agility to duck and dodge the creature as it toyed with him. Like Argorok, the beast was red-skinned and covered in heat-hardened scales, making it difficult for his sword to penetrate.

The Hero, however, was fighting distractedly, casting quick glances to where he knew Linkle and Shad were hiding. The Dragon snapped at him again, forcing him to role beneath the behemoth, his sword coming up to scratch the underside of the beast. Sparks flew from the contact of the blade against the armored skin of the Dragon as Link rolled back to his feet.

The creature whipped its head around at him, seeming to grin at his attempt to injure it before rearing back on its legs, taking in a deep, rumbling breath before Link ducked behind a rock as the Dragon's flames were unleashed.

The wave of heat that rushed forth was like a river as it washed over the boulder, sweat beading Link's brow as he ducked down low to avoid getting burned.

With a swipe of its tail, the Dragon smashed the boulder he was hiding behind, and sent the young commander rolling, his shield raised as the Dragon went for him again.

Linkle and Shad didn't know what to do with the situation. Linkle had her crossbows primed, but the Dragon was too large for the small darts to do any good unless she hit it in a sensitive area such as the eyes or the mouth, and for that, she needed a clear shot.

A shot that was presented to her the moment the beast ceased its onslaught. On its back right between where the wings met at the shoulders was a patch of hide devoid of scales hardened by its own heat. Linkle set her crossbow on the rock she hid behind, taking careful aim, and pulled the trigger, loosing the quarrels.

Three of the darts found their mark, piercing deep into the Dragon's body as it roared in pain, craning its neck around to snap at the tiny barbs embedded in its hide. Linkle involuntarily let out a cry of triumph, ducking back down once she realized her mistake. The baleful gaze of the monster whipped around to their hiding spot.

Shad, whilst this was going on, was pouring through one of the books from his satchel. "Please, please, let there be something in here!" He muttered as Linkle sat back beside him.

"Mister Shad, we have to move!" Linkle urged him frantically as the Dragon stomped over.

"Just a moment," Shad said, sweating badly, before he closed the book and started rubbing his hands together, and breathing in between them, "Come on! Come on!" He breathed out again, and a small spark appeared, "YES!" He clapped his hands together, and a ball of light appeared. He stood up, the ball primed to throw as the Dragon now loomed over them, its neck reared back for a strike, and hurled the ball at it. "Take this!"

The Dragon raised its wing to bat the magic attack aside, only for the ball to explode against the membrane, and magical sparks of electricity to shoot across its body. It roared in anger, remaining rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"Linkle, your bow," Shad yelled, "Use the bow!"

"I don't have any arrows!" Linkle whimpered. "Mister Link!"

At her cry, the Hero looked out from behind the boulder he had hidden behind, and saw the Dragon looming over his friends. Something inside him snapped as he charged forward, dropping his blade and shield. With the roar of a beast, Link was soon running on all fours, his clawed feet carrying him faster than his human legs ever could as he bounded up the Dragon's back and sank his teeth deep into flesh.

In the Hyrule wilds, Dragons were widely known as the strongest and mightiest of beasts with few enemies save for their own kind. Only a handful of beasts could contend with Dragons as a whole. But as Link soon found out, wolves were one of the few creatures that could and would go up against a Dragon. For Dragons hunted wolves for sport, and wolves would fight to defend themselves and their packs.

The wolf inside of Link, his darker half, wanted nothing more than to tear the great lizard to pieces for threatening his pack. And Link saw no reason to stop it. So, for the first time since he had fought against Ganon, Link let the wolf run wild. His eyes as cold as ice, the beast ripped and shredded the hide of the Dragon as it roared in pain and rage.

Linkle and Shad watched in morbid fascination as the two beasts fought. Each time the Dragon would turn to bite at the wolf, Link would leap from its back, and onto the neck to avoid the fangs, and go right for its eyes. The Dragon then rolled on the ground, kicking up dust and debris as it tried to dislodge the pest from its back.

Linkle was frantic as she watched her friend fight with the monster, looking for a way to help him when she spotted one of the arrows he had fired at the beast earlier laying on the ground, intact. She scrambled after it, ducking under the Dragon's tail as it swept over her, and rolled as she snatched it up.

A yelp of pain caught her attention as she saw, to her growing horror, Link in the mouth of the beast, and thrown back against the stone wall of the tomb. "Link!" Link lay still as he hit the ground, the Dragon hissing at him as it advanced.

"Oh, no you don't!" Shad roared, and hurled another ball of light at the beast.

The Dragon roared, ducking under the spell, and breathed out another stream of flames, forcing Shad to take cover.

Shaking, the young Page fitted the arrow to her bow, drawing all the way back, ' _Hylia, please let this work!_ ' She silently prayed as the Dragon showed its back to her. Her little hands trembled as she waited for it to rear again. When it did, the arrow flew from her bow. The arrow glowed as it flew toward the beast, and struck the patch of bloodied hide on its back, strike through the beast as a bright beam of light blasted through the Dragon's chest.

A silent cry was on the maw of the Dragon as it fell, thundering to the ground with a tremendous crash; dead.

Linkle sank to her knees, tears springing to her eyes. Shad peeked out from his hiding spot, and scrambled out toward the girl as he caught her. Linkle, bless the girl, broke into sobs as the reality of the situation came crashing down on her. She'd killed a Dragon. Her! Not even a Knight!

"Linkle, look at me," Shad said soothingly, holding the girl tightly, "It's alright, you did it!" He patted her back as she sobbed, "We're safe. You saved us."

Linkle shook her head, "B-b-but Link!" She looked over to where the wolf lay, "I couldn't s-save Link!"

Shad grimaced as he nodded, "Aye, I know, but this...this is what he would have wanted," he said, looking toward the fallen Hero.

Linkle sobbed harder. What was she to do now? Who would teach her how to be a Knight of Hyrule if not the one person she held dear? She rose from Shad's arms, and stumbled over to the fallen wolf. It was so strange.

He looked as though he was sleeping. Not a patch of fur out of place, nor was there any blood that showed an injury. His eyes were closed, and his face looked peaceful. "I don't want you to go," she said, reaching out to stroke his fur, "Even though I know you need the rest...I don't want you to go." She reached over and cradled his head in her lap, "Please don't leave me..."

Shad trudged over to them, and knelt at the Knight commander's side, "You are the moon, illuminating the sky with your brilliance, and I am the wolf, howling with longing for your soul." He recited, making the sign of the Triforce over his heart, "Good-bye, my dearest friend."

Behind them, the body of the Dragon shone brightly for a moment, and began to melt away. In its place was a large crystal the size of a large jewel, pulsing like a heart.

"What is that?" Linkle asked.

Shad sighed, "It's the Dragon's life force." He said, looking at the girl, "As it's slayer, you are the rightful recipient. It'll make you stronger, and heal your wounds."

Linkle shook her head, "I don't want it." She said, biting her lips, "Link should have it! It'll help him, right?!"

Shad frowned, "But he's dead, Linkle, and I've never heard of anyone using a monster's life force on a corpse before."

Linkle stood up, "It's worth trying!" She grabbed the wolf under his front legs, "H-help me!"

Shad hurriedly took hold of the beast and together they hauled their fallen friend toward the crystal. As they neared it, something went wrong. It didn't stay stationary. It immediately moved toward Linkle.

"No!" She swiped at it, "Not me! Go to Link, _please_!" But it was no use. The moment she was close enough, the crystal homed in on the girl, and burst, filling her with a radiant energy that made her feel a strength boiling deep down inside her that wanted to fight its way to the surface. Another sob racked her chest as the one hope she had for saving her friend disappeared inside of her. "It's not fair!"

"Linkle," Shad said, seeing how distraught the girl had now become, "It's alright. You tried, and that's all you could do."

Linkle shook her head, "If it's all I could do, then why is he dead?" She sobbed, "If I'd tried harder, then maybe I could - "

 _Use the harp._

Linkle looked up, "Did you say something?"

Shad shook his head, looking confused, "No, I didn't. What's wrong, Linkle?"

Linkle touched her brow in confusion, "I though I heard someone speaking to me," she said, shaking her head, "Something about the harp?"

"You mean that golden harp that Fi gave to you?" He asked, pointing to the instrument at her back, "What could that do?"

Linkle took the harp from the sling on her back, looking over the instrument in interest. "I don't know, but maybe..." She thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up, "Shad, wasn't there a song The Hero played that could heal?"

"The Song of Healing!" Shad lit up, "Of course!" He reached into his bag, bringing out a thick tomb, "With every Hero that's ever been born, music has always surrounded them! The Hero of Time himself used the Occarina of Time to cast magic with his music!"

"I know how to play a little, but I'm not all that good!" Linkle fretted as the scribe flipped through the pages of his book, "Shad!"

"Found it!" He crowed and flipped the book around, "And don't worry, it's a simple tune, really!"

Linkle looked down at the pages, and whimpered; it didn't look like a simple piece to her. ' _But I have to try,_ ' she thought, looking down at her friend, ' _For him!_ ' She raised the harp to her shoulder and began to play. Her fingers flowed across the strings of the harp as easily as if she had been practicing all of her life. The instrument was familiar to her, somehow. As the song progressed, a warmth began to seep into her body. Watching from his position, Shad felt that same warmth spreading to himself as a glow was cast not by the harp, but by the girl playing it.

Everything about the girl seemed brighter to the scribe as she played.

Suddenly, while she played, the wolf began to stir.

=x=

The grass on which he lay was soft and warm, not unlike the fields he laid upon in Ordon. Except for the fact that even with his eyes closed, it was far too bright for him to be lying under his favorite tree back home. And where he lay, the breeze brought with it the scent of rain, and fresh spring flowers. He opened his eyes slowly, the light blinding him for a moment.

Overhead, he saw the form of a large bird flying over him, gliding lazily on the wind. He sat up, looking around in confusion. He was on a cliff, from the look of things, high above the ground. Very high. "Clouds?" He breathed out, looking out across the sky, "How is this possible?"

"It's possible, because this is how the world was before our people went below," said a soft voice behind him. Link turned about and found himself staring at a face he knew, or at least he thought he knew. No, their faces were similar in many ways. But this was neither Zelda or Linkle. She was shorter than both, and though her hair was the same shade of blonde as Linkle's, she kept it longer, all the way down to her hips, but her face was framed by the same set of pig-tails wrapped in white ribbons. "Hello, Link."

"Who -?"

The girl laughed, "Of course you wouldn't remember me," she said, a slight drop in her smile, "It has been well over a two thousand years after all." She stepped up to him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Link, it's me... _Hylia_."

Link looked at the girl in astonishment, "Hylia... _Zelda_?!"

Hylia giggled, "Yes, that's what I was called all of those years ago, when you and I first met," she smiled, reaching up to touch his cheek tenderly. Her eyes softened into molten azure pools, "You've changed so much, my love." She said as he leaned into her touch, "For so long, you've fought, looking only for me. How many times I wasn't there for you when I wished to be. Even now, when I'm so near, I can't reach you yet."

Link's eyes closed as he reached up, covering her hand with his own, "But you're right here." Link sighed, inhaling the scent of fresh rain, and flowers that wafted off of her skin, "I feel like...I don't know. I feel like I'm finally right where I belong."

Hylia smiled at him as tears brimmed her eyes, "And yet you're not." She said sadly, "Link, this is the border between life and death. The only reason you're hear right now is because you're being called back to your mortal body."

"I don't want to go back," Link said truthfully, looking around them at the floating land, "This place is beautiful. Border or not, I want to stay...with you."

Hylia shook her head, "I won't be here for much longer." She said, "And if you were to stay, or pass on to the next plain, you'd leave Hyrule, our home, in terrible danger. All that you've fought for will have been for nothing." Her tears spilled over into tiny pearls hitting the ground.

Link frowned, "Why? All my life I've felt like I never belonged anywhere, not even when I was raised in Ordon alongside Collin and Ilia and everyone I've ever loved, I never felt like was part of something right."

"I know," Hylia said, smiling bringing her other hand up to cup his face, "Believe me, I know. Every time I was reborn in the mortal world, and you weren't there, I wanted nothing more than to find you, even though you hadn't been born yet." She said, "I searched and searched all over until my feet bled, and I grew so lonely I wanted to die. But this isn't like those time we were born without each other, Link. I'm there now, and so are you, but you have to go back, or else I'll never wake up."

"And how long will I have to wait this time?" He asked, "Will I be old and grey? Will I be gone and in a tomb just like the others?"

"No," Hylia snapped, "You seem me as I am. A sixteen year old girl. This is how old I am in the mortal world now." Her voice returned to its soft tone, "I know you've waited for me for a long time, Link, but please, wait only a little longer. We've spent centuries chasing after each other, and now we'll finally be able to be together. We're so close now."

"Sixteen," Link breathed out, "Just a year younger than I am...how am I supposed to find you?"

Hylia smiled, placing her hands against his chest, "You silly boy, _I'll_ find _you_." She gave him a gentle shove over the ledge, and everything faded away to white.

" _Remember, I love you, Link, for all of eternity._ "

Link's eyes snapped open, blinded once more by sunlight, but it was the dimming light of twilight he saw above him as the last golden rays of the sun began to fade away with the coming of night. Beside him, a small fire burned to the last of its ashes. He was laid out on a small role of blankets, one rolled up and placed under his head for a pillow.

Shad rested against a boulder, a book in his lap, fast asleep. Curled up beside him, her head resting against his shoulder, was Linkle. Her cheeks and eyes were red and puffy from crying. At her side was the harp given to her by Fi, a faint glow emanating from the strings.

His heart sped up as he realized it. The likeness was the same as when he met her at the border, with only slight differences. Hylia's face had been round yet angular with maturity. Linkle's would forever be round, and child-like. Just as she was at times. But it was there. If it wasn't her, then it had to be Zelda. But he knew that the queen was nothing more than his friend. As she would always be.

Linkle was his constant shadow. His friend, apprentice, and perhaps the sweetest girl he knew. He shook his head at his stupidity, "How could I have missed it?" He asked himself as he sat up carefully, letting Linkle down against the blanket.

"Link?" Shad asked as the man came awake, "You're alright?!"

"Shh," Link smiled, covering Linkle with his blanket, "Let her rest."

Shad nodded and scooted over to the fire, "Goddesses it's good to see you back with us," he sighed while coaxing the fire back to life. "We thought we'd lost you for good for a while there."

Link sat back for a moment as the fire sprang back to life, "For a moment, I think you did," he admitted, looking up at the sky, "Shad, when I was taking my trial, it made no sense to me. I met myself inside of a mirror, my dark half, and it said that I needed to let go of my guilt, and start living." He shook his head, "Honestly, I didn't understand that. But now, having been at the border, I think I can see what my other self was talking about."

Shad chuckled, nodding in understanding, "I know what you mean," he said, "The price for the knowledge that would have had forced into my mind was my most precious memories, my time with Ashei. I refused the knowledge, and demanded my memories back."

"Good call," Link smiled, looking down at Linkle, snuggling into her bed, "For me, I think it was because of what I had to do in the war, and the fact that I didn't really have anything to come back to."

"Nothing?" Shad asked incredulously, "Really? After all we've been through?" He said, "Link, Rusl thinks of you as his own son, and Ashei and I are your friends. The queen loves you as much as she would a brother, and you say you have nothing?"

Link smiled at his friend, "Nothing. I have a house, and many friends, but at the end of the day, I have nothing but an empty home. No wife to welcome me home, and no children to pester me for bedtime stories of my adventures." He said, looking back down at Linkle. "But now?" He smiled as the girl sighed in her sleep, mumbling slightly, "I think I might have something to look forward to at the end of the day."

Shad looked between the two of them and smiled, "Hmph, this must be a pattern with Knights." He said, sighing, "You know she adores you, right?" He asked, gaining a small blush from the commander, "That day in the library, before that little fiasco, all she could talk about was how kind and gentle ' _Mister Link_ ' was. And a few hours ago, when she killed the Dragon, she was distraught over nearly losing you."

"She killed the Dragon?" Link asked in astonishment, looking from the scribe to the young Page at his side. "That's impressive. How did she do it?"

"With that Sacred Bow of hers," Shad said, "And she brought you back with the harp as well after playing the Song of Healing. Strange thing, too, for a moment, she looked like a painting of Hylia I once saw in the castle."

Link smiled, "Must have been the light playing tricks on you," he said, keeping his peace for the moment until he knew for sure.

Shad nodded, accepting his reasoning, "When should we return to the castle?" He asked, "A Dragon attacking is no small thing. If one of them attacked us, then something may be going on at the castle."

"Agreed," Link said, "We'll leave at first light. For now, though, we need the rest. You two most of all."

Shad sighed and set about spreading out his bed roll. "You need the rest as well, Link."

"Aye," he said, laying next to the sleeping girl, "That I do...that I do." He wrapped his arms around the girl, and slowly let himself drift off to a dreamless slumber. His nightmares, he knew, would no longer plague him.

=x=

Pipit and Groose walked along the top of the wall surrounding Castle Town, "Quiet as the grave," Groose observed, passing by one of the Knights keeping watch alongside a ballista. "Call me paranoid, but that doesn't make me feel any safer."

Pipit shook his head, "No, I know what you mean." The younger Knight said, "It's way too quiet." He said, looking out over the plains, "Not even a cricket's chirping tonight. The air's still, too. Not even a whisper of a breeze."

"Glad I'm not the only one on edge," the lumbering Knight sighed, his hand reaching up unconsciously to his hammer, "You know we received word from the Zorans earlier today? Apparently they've blocked off all the rivers because some kind of monsters are ravaging Lake Hylia."

"Think we should send some help?" Pipit asked.

Groose sighed, shrugging, "With what men?" He asked, "We're still stretched way too thin. The Gorons could help us, but who would help the Zoras? Gorons hate water. And we can't expect them to defend our homes while we go off to fight somewhere else."

Pipit sighed himself, "I see your point, but surely we can do something?"

"Pray to the Goddesses that things will work out," Groose said, making a gesture over his heart. "Of course, if it were Link, he'd go charging off like a angry Bulbo."

Pipit laughed and punched him in the arm, "Don't let him here you say that!" He laughed, as the pair continued on. Groose stopped off at one of the ballistas while Pipit went on down the line to keep watch.

The young knight sighed as the warm night wore on. If the Dragon was going to attack, then he wished it would hurry up. Waiting was not one of his strengths.

As he walked, her heard a soft humming sound, and came upon Lana sitting on the wall, humming a tune to herself as she gazed up at the stars. Pipit opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, turning about to leave.

"I wouldn't mind the company," the young sorceress said, looking at him as he turned back to her, "Honestly, it wouldn't be a bother."

Pipit smiled and went over to her, sitting beside her, "I'm sorry, but I thought wanted to be alone?"

Lana sighed, turning her eyes back to the skies, "No one wants to be alone, Sir Pipit." She said, smiling sadly, "Especially not me."

Pipit nodded, "I suppose that's true," he said, smiling at her, "And you don't have to call me 'Sir', just call me Pipit like everyone else, Lady Lana."

Lana giggled, "Alright, but only if you'll call me Lana, instead of 'Lady'." She said, bumping his shoulder with her own, "How's your arm, by the way?"

Pipit flexed his left arm and rolled his shoulder, "Like it was never injured. I never thanked you for that, so thank you, Lana," he said, truthfully, making the girl blush prettily.

"No one's ever thanked me before," she said, shaking her head, "For anything."

Pipit gulped, blushing slightly, "W-well, I have a lot to be thankful for." He absently scratched the back of his head, "To have friends like Groose, and Commander Link, my life as a Knight, and...meeting such a lovely woman...like you."

Lana looked at him as a small breeze picked up, causing a few strands of her hair to sway in front of her eyes. "Pipit..."

"Lana," Pipit said, blushing madly now, "If you've no objections, would you permit me to court you?"

Lana was stunned at the request from the young Knight, so much so that she didn't feel the smile forming on her lips. Pipit took her silence as a chance to continue. "I realize that we've only just met, but there's something about you that...makes me want to know more about you." The young Knight admitted, "We could go as slow as you wished, and I would never press my boundaries, and - "

Lana leaned in and pressed a kiss against his cheek, effectively silencing him. As she drew back, her eyes were alight with happiness. "I would love to know you better, Pipit."

The smile that came to the boy's face could have set the entire castle alight as he stood, and took the girl by the hands, but before anything more could be said, a bell tolled from the castle walls. The Knight and Sorceress stiffened as the bell sounded across the town, light coming from the Knight barracks as the residents within scrambled about.

Groose came thundering up to the pair, "Sorry for interrupting," he said, seeing the pair's joined hands, "But one of our field scouts just came running back with news of a large army of Bulblins heading this way led by a man in red armor."

"Volga," Lana said, her face paling, "The Dragon Knight of Eldin."

"You know him?" Pipit asked.

Lana nodded, "He was once a Dragon of great power, who desired a human form to further his strength." She explained, "He is the king of his kind, as well as the one the Bulblins look to for orders now that their old king is no more."

Groose sighed, scrubbing his face, "I'm not going to like the answer to this, I know, but is there a chance we can beat him?"

"Volga is prideful and arrogant to a fault," Lana said, shaking her head, "But he is undoubtedly stronger than any Hylian or Dragon. He carries no shield, only a giant halberd. He openly flaunts holes in his defenses, inviting anyone to take a chance at hitting him."

Hefting his hammer from his back, Groose grunted, "You can bet I'll be taking any and all shots I can get," he growled, "Pipit, go make sure the ground troops are ready for a fight. I'll make sure things are running well up here. Lady Lana, I'd ask that you'd stay below, but I doubt you would."

"I'll be right here," Lana said, taking her staff in hand, "I'm not as strong as Volga, but I can and will strike down his army with all the power I have."

Pipit sighed, "I'll see you later, then?"

Lana smiled at him, "We can talk more over afternoon tea."

In the distance, a war horn echoed across the plains as the sounds of countless feet thundered upon the ground.

* * *

 _ **The Trial are done, and now the battle begins as Hyrule makes ready for Volga's forces. Link has his hands full with what's to come.**_

 _ **Been a while, but please don't forget to review!**_


	10. Chapter 10: The First Battle

_**10: The First Battle**_

* * *

Cia sat in her throne within the confines of her realm out of time. Her nails left gauges in the the stone rests as she gazed into her scrying crystal, seeing the strong thread that bonded her Hero and that foolish girl together, no longer red, but shining gold. She gripped her staff, making the shaft creak under her grasp.

The girl was stronger than she had first thought. Abnormally so. It had taken almost all the strength Link had in his very being to defeat the Dragon, Argorok, yet this mere slip of a girl had done so with a single shot from a bow. A bow infused with Light energy, albeit, but a bow nonetheless.

Though she felt she should be grateful to the little wench. She had saved the life of Link, even if she could have done so herself in a moment's notice had she wished.

She tapped her chin in thought as she recalled the instrument. Not just anyone could use the Goddess' Harp so effectively. She hadn't seen it used so well since the time of the first Hero.

"It matters little," she sighed to herself as she rose, "The Darkness in his heart is growing with each swing of his blade."

A dark chuckle sounded through the halls of her domain, " _Do not underestimate the whelp, Cia. He will surprise you if you do that, and it will not be as pleasant as you wish it to be._ "

Cia scoffed, "As if he could resist me if I used my full power," she said, snapping her fingers as a portal appeared, "You shall see, my friend, you shall see!"

=x=

Dawn broke across Hyrule plains as the sun began to peek over the horizon, its orange glow illuminating the land. For Queen Zelda, to behold such a sight would have been breathtaking, as the dark of the night gave way to the dawn, the hillside was not the beautiful green it normally was.

Now, it was covered in the marching bodies of the thousands of Bulblins, Moblins, and Bokoblins. The Bulblins rode their gigantic boars in the midst of the hoard, brandishing their weapons and screeching for battle while the larger Bokoblins and Moblins roared and screamed as they dragged their weapons behind them.

Lana came up beside the young woman, her staff in hand, watching the advancing army. "Might I suggest getting down below?" The blue-haired sorceress asked, "It would ease the men's worries."

Zelda shook her head, "I mean to fight this time, Lana," she said, patting the needle-like rapier at her hip. Instead of her normal pink and white dress, the young queen was dressed in golden armor, looking every bit the warrior she wished she was. "When last my kingdom came under attack, I did very little, except during the final confrontation with Ganondorf." She smiled at her companion, "I intend to do so much more this time."

"I can't stop you from doing what you want," Lana said, smiling at the queen, "But you know what's waiting out there, don't you? Not just monsters like the Blins. Volga's going to be looking for someone powerful to face."

"I think I can give him a fine sport," she said, with a small shrug, "Besides, I can't allow Link to be go into danger all the time without taking a few risks of my own. What kind of queen would I be if I didn't defend my people with my own hands?"

Lana smiled and conceded the point, "Just don't get hurt out there," she pleaded, "Link would never let any of us hear the end of it if something happened to you."

Zelda looked at the young woman with a small smile, "I'll make no promises that I can't keep," she said as Pipit crawled up onto the wall.

He knelt to the queen and sorceress, "On your command, my queen, we are ready to launch the Groosenators." He said, flushing when he heard Lana laugh at the use of the machine's name, ' _Dammit, Groose._ '

Zelda smiled at him, "Wait until they come a bit closer before firing." She said, "We want maximum results. The Blins are not strong, but they are dangerous if underestimated."

Pipit nodded, and went back down below.

Ashei was waiting for him as he came back down, "What's the word, Pip?" She asked, "We attacking, or waiting?"

"Waiting, it seems," Pipit sighed, scratching his head, "She wants to wait until they're closer."

Ashei shrugged, "No matter, I just hope Link and the others are alright," she said, blushing slightly as her lover entered her thoughts, "Shad's not much for field work, and going off with Link isn't something anyone should do lightly. Not that he wouldn't protect him, mind you, but Link tends to get himself in trouble a lot, and - "

"Shad'll be fine," Pipit said confidently, "He has Link and Linkle to watch his back."

Ashei nodded, "I know, I just...I worry about him." She admitted, "Shad's really all I have since Papa went back into the mountains."

"You've got all of us here," Pipit pointed out, smiling, "Come on, let's grab a bite before - "

Drums sounded across the field, and the sound of marching feet came as if a thunder storm was coming. "HERE THEY COME!" The guards roared down.

"Load up the Groosenators," Zelda yelled down, "Fire upon my signal!"

"Ballistas, ready!" Groose roared from his end of the wall, "On the queens word!"

Zelda waited as the Blin horde came closer, and drew her sword, "Ready!" She cried, holding the gleaming blade over her head, and brought it down, "FIRE!"

"Fire!" Groose repeated to his men as the first boulders were hurled over the walls toward the approaching army. "Come on, boys! Make Her Majesty proud!" He pulled the trigger on his ballista, the large bolt flying from the weapon.

"Archers on the walls," Pipit yelled, scrambling back up the ladder, "Make ready!" He drew his own bow, fitting an arrow, "Aim!"

"LOOK OUT!" He heard Lana scream.

Not a moment later, Pipit's world turned to smoke and ash as a massive fireball crashed and exploded against the wall beneath him, knocking him from his perch.

Lana watched him fall from the wall in horror, and lept down herself where he landed. He was still alive, thank the Goddesses. He'd landed in the middle of a group of Knights that had caught him on the way down, cushioning his landing.

"Pipit, are you alright?!" Lana cried as she came running over to him.

He was covered in soot, and badly singed, but otherwise, he looked fine. "I'll live. I just got the life scared out of me," he said, as another explosion rocked the ground, "What's going on up there?"

"Volga," Lana spat, pointing to a shadow passing over them in the sky. Pipit had seen very few Dragons in his life. But this one was one he could have gone on never seeing. It was smaller than usual, but the fiery visage around the beast made him realize that this beast was powerful indeed. It roared through the sky, sending flames raining down on the city as it passed over.

"Archers, take that thing out of the sky!" Pipit roared, point at the beast to both the men on the wall, and the men stationed on the ground. He tried to get back to his feet, but a sharp pain in his side stopped him, "Argh!"

"Pipit, you're bleeding!" Lana cautioned as the young man clutched at his side where a red stain was seeping through his tunic. She pushed him back to the ground gently, "Lie still for a moment, and I'll heal you."

Pipit shook his head, "No, just bind it." He wheezed, "You need to save your strength."

Ashei bounded over to them through the debris, "How bad it he?"

"Not bad," the Knight ground out.

"Bad enough," the sorceress said.

Ashei nodded, "Alright, I'll take over here, you see to getting him to the healers." She said, ducking as the roof of a building crashed down nearby. "Can you do something about that Dragon?"

Lana nodded, "I can stop him from flying around."

"Good, I'm counting on you," she scaled the wall, and took out her bow, "Archers, hearken to me! Keep that Dragon away from the city!"

A hail of arrows flew from the wall as the Dragon made another pass. Volga spun through the air, deflecting the arrows off of his thick armored hide. All the while as the battle focused on the Dragon, the army of Blins was advancing unhindered.

Zelda saw this and scowled, "Alright, that's enough." She unlsung the bow at her back, fitting it with a golden arrow. She took careful aim with the precious dart as Volga came back around, a stream of flames erupting from his maw. "Let's see how you handle this, beast!" She loosed her arrow with the sound of an angry hornet as it sped forth. Volga never saw it coming as the arrow struck him head on, exploding with a bright golden light.

He roared in pain as the light blinded him, and crashed to the ground. Shaking his head as his vision cleared, the Dragon sneered at the queen as she fitted another arrow. With a flap of his mighty wings, the Dragon was aloft again. Zelda noted that he now flew straight at her. It was a dangerous game of chance she now played with the beast as his claws extended to grab her as a falcon would its prey.

"OH, NO YA DON'T!" With a roar like a bear, Groose, the self-proclaimed coward to the Knights of Hyrule, lept fromt he wall, hammer drawn, and slammed into the Dragon, knocking him off course. Zelda shrieked as the grappling pair whipped over her, the arrow falling from her grasp.

"Groose!" Ashei yelled.

Groose struck the Dragon Knight with his hammer, small blasts of fire erupting over the beast's skin, but the damage meant very little to the beast as he craned his head back, blasting a mouthful of flames at him. Groose ducked low as his back was charred by the flames, roaring in pain as he held on for dear life. He clambered further up the Dragon's back, and grasped him around the neck.

Choking under the large Hylian's grip, Volga dove toward the ground and rolled, throwing Groose off, tumbling to the ground in a cloud of dust. Volga landed close to the fallen Knight, shifting to his human form. His halberd struck the ground in anger as a mad smile formed on his lips.

Groose, his lips bloodied and crusted with dirt, rose to his feet, his hammer in hand. He reached up and removed his helmet so he could see clearly, his glare on the now human Dragon Knight.

Volga chuckled, "You are very different than many Hylians I've bested," he hissed, leveling his halberd at the young man, "You fear for your life, yet here you stand before your own demise. Why is that?"

Groose coughed and spat a glob of blood, "A wise woman once told me that to be a coward wasn't to run from a battle, but doing so, and abandoning your comrades." He said, taking a stance with his weapon, "If I'm to die, then it won't be with my back facing the battle!"

Volga roared and surge forward, his halberd thrust out to impale the Knight. Groose sidestepped the weapon, swinging the hammer around, and slamming it into the Dragon Knight's side. Volga skidded on the balls of his feet from the power behind the swing, but was uninjured. He whipped around, using the pole of his weapon to smash Groose aside as he tried to defend himself with the grip of his hammer.

But the sheer force behind the blow was enough to knock the burly Knight off of his feet and send him rolling across the fields. He staggered back to his feet only for the armored boot of the Knight to strike him in the gut and send him back to his knees, coughing and hacking.

The laughter of the Blins echoed through his ears. He reached for his hammer, but Volga kicked it away, grabbing him by the hair and hoisting him up. Groose groaned as he was brought up to eye-level with the Dragon Knight, the tip of his blade at his throat. "Of all the Hylians I've fought...you are the most pathetic." He sneered, "Now die with the knowledge that by day's end, Hyrule will fall to my army, and lay in ruin beneath my feet."

Groose spat in his face, "Go back to your hole, Worm!"

Volga hissed and brought the blade up -

"Volga!" A clap of thunder erupted across the meadow as lightning struck the Dragon Knight, knocking away from the injured Knight. Groose groaned and raised his head to see his savior floating down in blue robes. Lana was a sight to behold, looking every bit the sorceress that she was as lightning sparked from her staff. Volga growled and staggered back to his feet, snarling at the woman.

"You dare attack me with _magic_!?" He snarled, "You _weak_ little _harlot_!"

Lana touched the ground, as if stepping down from a carriage, "Am I weak?" She asked as she strode forward, "If I am, then you are weaker, or have you forgotten that you asked for _magic_ to turn yourself into a _man_!"

Volga roared with a stream of fire erupting from his lips, but Lana snapped her fingers, and the moat around the castle rose, and surrounded her as the flames crashed against the wall of water. It then surged forth in a wave that washed over the Dragon Knight and those near him.

Lana knelt next to Groose while Volga was recovering from her attack, "Come on, we need to get you back to the castle!" She grasped him under his arms.

"Watch out!" Groose grunted as Volga lept toward them, his halberd held high. He was then knocked out of the air by another arrow from Zelda. He crashed to the ground, blinded once more as the two made their escape.

Ashei saw them getting clear of the army, smiling, "Archers, keep those Blins in check! Fire at will!"

Down on the battlefield, Volga was furious. His sight was gone! All he could do was feel the arrows clinking against his armor, and do nothing but let the little annoyances continue!

"Damn you, Zelda!" Volga roared, "I'll have my revenge for this!" Zelda peered over the wall at the enraged Dragon Knight, "I'll pluck your eyes out of you skull, and wear them as a trophy!"

"You'll have to find me first," Zelda commented to herself as she lowered herself to the ground to attend the wounded. The Bulblins were in full retreat for the moment, but it wouldn't last. Volga was mad with rage, and would take the next opportunity to strike back at them with his full might.

Rusl was rallying the cavalry men with their horses, ready to ride out at her word, but for the moment, things seemed to be fine. "Ashei!" She called over to her female Knight, "How many wounded?"

Ashei smiled at her, "Surprisingly, very few." She said, jerking her thumb at the town, "It was mostly just damage to the town that was done. Pipit and Groose go the worst of it."

Zelda sighed in relief, "No casualties, then?"

"None."

"How are Groose and Pipit?" She asked, worried for the two friends, "Groose took an awful beating out there. And I heard Pipit was badly wounded."

Ashei nodded grimly at this, "Groose has some broke ribs, and some horrible burns, but he'll be fine after the healers are done with him," she said, looking down sadly, "Pipit's not doing so well. He took some stone in the stomach when Volga blasted him off the wall. He's bleeding pretty badly, but the healers say he'll be fine after a day or so of rest...so long as he doesn't fight."

Zelda frowned, "Lana can't heal him?"

"He won't let her." Ashei sighed, "She's already used up a lot of magic against Volga, and mending some of the men that were hurt during the first attack, and he didn't want her taxing herself."

Zelda sighed and moved off toward the medical ward, "I'll see if I can't do anything for them." She patted the woman on the shoulder, "Good work out there today. Take food and water, and keep watch for the next wave."

=x=

Link's feet touched down on the last branch as he swung down from the forest tops. "Okay, we're across," he said to his passenger, smiling as Linkle released her hold on his neck. "You doing alright?"

"Mm," Linkle hummed happily as Shad floated down beside them, "You're getting really good at that, Mister Shad."

Shad sagged to the ground tiredly, "Not the easiest spell to use, but very useful." He sighed, sweat beading his brow.

Epona whinnied at them in greeting as she trotted over to them, Thunder close behind her. The mare dipped her head over Link's shoulder in a kind of embrace as the young commander patted her neck. "It's good to see you, too, girl." He chuckled as a moment later the young mare did the same to Linkle, making the girl laugh in delight. Thunder snorted, pawing the ground in agitation.

Shad took hold of his reins and swung up into the saddle, "We should get going," the scribe said, "We've been gone far too long for my liking. Who knows what's been going on."

Link nodded and hefting Linkle up onto Epona's back before swinging up behind her, "Let's go then. It's a few hours ride to get to the castle." Epona whickered and started off at a gallop as Thunder hurried after them with Shad clinging to the saddle.

=x=

Pipit's breathing was coming in ragged gasps as the healers left off their treatment of him. Lana was by his side dabbing his face with a wet cloth. He wasn't in any danger, but he was left weakened by the loss of blood.

"He'll be fine," one of the healers told the young sorceress, "He just needs some warm food, and a good rest." She said kindly, "I'll see if I can have some porridge brought in for him."

"Thank you," the young woman said tiredly.

Pipit cracked his eyes open, "You shoulder rest."

Lana smiled at him, "So should you." She said, "So much for afternoon tea, huh?"

"Rain check?" Pipit joked.

Lana nodded, "However long it takes," she said, smiling as she dabbed his face again. She looked toward the town walls, "It's so quiet. I wonder why they're waiting so long to attack?"

Pipit shrugged, wincing, "I won't complain." He said, smirking, "Maybe they decided to give up?"

Lana shook her head, "Volga never gives up." She said, "We'll be lucky if he still can't see."

Pipit nodded. He wished he could have seen the battle for himself. Groose had certainly proved himself this last battle that he was by no means a coward.

Just then, Ashei burst into the room, "Hey, guess who's back!" She laughed, "Commander Link and Shad just rode in, and they're had a big success!"

* * *

 _ **A triumphant battle, and a triumphant return. But what does Cia have up her sleeves? And what has Link returned with? Find out next time.**_

 _ **Don't forget to review!**_


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